At the back of my wardrobe is a box full of memories — people, places and versions of myself I haven’t quite been able to let go of. Inside are letters, a single red rose from an ex, birthday cards, paper concert tickets and boarding passes from before everything went digital. There are old journals, too, and the obituaries of two people I loved: my best friend, who died more than 20 years ago, and my grandmother, my Oma.

When I moved from Canada to London in 2019, these were among the few possessions I chose to bring with me. Everything else stayed at my parents’ house. I open the box when I’m homesick or want to remind myself how far I’ve come. An old letter makes me wonder about someone I haven’t spoken to in years; a journal entry makes me feel protective of the younger woman who wrote it. The things I’ve collected since moving to London remind me of the relationships and experiences I might never have had if I hadn’t taken the risk of starting again.

These things are important reminders, yet we’re often encouraged to declutter our homes, delete our exes’ numbers and make room for the next chapter. From minimalist living to the endless pursuit of self-improvement, we are sold the idea that becoming someone new means shedding everything associated with who we used to be. But what if, somewhere between clearing out our homes and reinventing our identities, we’ve confused letting go with pretending something never mattered?

Our attachment to possessions isn’t necessarily about the objects themselves, explains counsellor Julie Shehata-Morgan. “Belongings can act as external reminders, while also supporting an internal emotional world. Mementos and memories can help, but their meaning can change as time goes by. They can be a comfort at one point and later become a burden.”

Sometimes, Shehata-Morgan explains, holding onto possessions can be a sign that we haven’t fully processed a transition. But that isn’t always the case. “We don’t need to discard something meaningful simply to demonstrate that we’ve moved on.”

I know this to be true because one of the most meaningful things in my box is the obituary of my best friend. When Chantelle passed away, I found myself clinging to anything that made me feel close to her. I kept the obituary because in the aftermath of her death, I felt like I had so little to hold on to. I wanted to preserve every piece of her I could, and having something physical that belonged to that moment in time gave me a sense of connection to her.

For decades, I struggled to accept her death. It took years of therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), before I could look at the obituary and truly see it as a celebration of her life. The words on the page hadn’t changed. I had. Once a painful reminder of everything I’d lost, it’s now something I treasure as a tangible connection to her.

I still miss my friend, but now I think about the person she was rather than just the fact that she’s gone. I haven’t stopped grieving, but instead, found a different way to remember her. An object can hold grief and love at the same time, and its meaning can change as we do.

Shehata-Morgan says people can be hurried through grief by the pace of everyday life and the expectation that they should move forward. But grief doesn’t follow a schedule and neither does our relationship with the things that remind us of what we’ve lost.

For Marissa Field, moving on involved a funeral of sorts. After her mastectomy, she held a ‘bra funeral’ with her friends, ceremonially saying goodbye to the bras that belonged to her pre-surgery body. Secretly, she held onto her favourite one.

Surrounded by friends, she had gone through the ritual of letting go, and yet one small piece of her former life remained tucked away. Before cancer, the bra had been part of her everyday life… afterwards, it became a reminder of the body she had lost and the woman she had been. “Our bodies are incredible testaments to our strength and I want to remember the woman I was while also recognising how much I’ve overcome, physically and mentally,” she says.

Not every keepsake carries the weight of grief. Harriet Smith tells me that she keeps every love letter she’s received and still sleeps in her ex’s T-shirt. She can treasure the memories, she says, without wanting the relationship back. Emily Ferbey, meanwhile, has bought the same candle for every home she’s lived in, creating a sense of continuity through different countries and chapters of life.

The meaning we attach to possessions isn’t always obvious from the outside. What looks like an inability to let go might instead be a way of preserving a connection to a person, a place or a former version of ourselves. Family photographs and inherited belongings can also preserve stories for the next generation. However, an object alone can’t tell us whether an attachment is meaningful or holding us back.

Rather than asking whether we should keep something, Shehata-Morgan suggests considering what it brings up, how we’d feel without it and whether it still serves us.

Objects can offer comfort and connection, but they can also become a psychological burden, their very presence keeping us tethered to painful memories, unresolved emotions or relationships we’re struggling to move on from.

I don’t keep my box because I want my old life back. I keep it because it’s part of the life I have now. The letters from Canada connect me to a place I once called home whilst my London keepsakes remind me that taking a chance opened doors to people and experiences I couldn’t have ever imagined. The obituaries remind me that grief can change shape without love disappearing.

Perhaps the pressure to move on comes from the belief that growth should be visible — in what we discard, the relationships we leave behind and the identities we no longer claim. But not every new chapter requires a clean break. We can outgrow a relationship without pretending it didn’t matter and we can become someone new without erasing who we used to be.

Maybe moving on isn’t about leaving every previous version of ourselves behind, just learning to carry them differently.

When was the last time you measured your fitness by something other than the number on the scales or how your favourite jeans fit? If you're anything like me, it's probably not something you think about often.

But ask a physio or strength coach how strong you really are, and they might be less interested in your measurements than whether you can get up off the floor.

That's because the simple, everyday stuff can tell us a lot about our physical strength. “There’s often a misconception that people need to lift a certain weight or perform a set amount of reps to be considered 'strong',” says Samantha Cubbins, a lifting club manager at Gymshark. “However, this is completely false.”

Research backs up the importance of these everyday capabilities, too. A study of more than 2,000 adults aged 51 to 80 found that the better people scored on a test measuring the ability to sit down on the floor and get back up again, the longer they tended to live. And a 10-year study involving more than 300 female twins found those with greater leg power experienced less decline in memory and thinking skills as they aged.

Keen to find out what being 'strong enough' actually looks like, I spoke to industry experts about seven simple things every woman should be able to do, plus how to work towards them if you're struggling right now. And if you're looking for more ways to support your long-term health, check out our guides to strength training moves for healthy ageing, the best longevity workouts, healthy ageing habits and longevity moves you can do at home.

Is Functional Strength the Best Measure of Your Health? These Are the Expert Moves That Experts Say Matter Most

What Is Functional Strength?

“Functional strength is essentially whether your body is capable of doing the things your lifestyle asks of it,” explains Rebecca Bossick, physiotherapist and founder of One Body LDN. “This is generally what physios are assessing you for: how well your muscles, bones, joints, and nervous system work together."

It's a far better measure than pure weight or aesthetics, she explains, as neither can tell the difference between losing fat and losing muscle. Put simply: two women can weigh exactly the same, but they can have completely different amounts of bone density and muscle, depending on their genetics and lifestyle.

Everyday movements can act as a useful indicator of functional strength because they use several muscles at once. “If one of those is lacking, it will quickly show up in these everyday movements, usually as a hand on the knee or a breathless pause on the landing, or needing extra support,” adds Bossick.

Why Should Women Pay Attention to Functional Strength As They Age?

Our bodies change as we age, and for women, menopause can speed things up. We naturally lose muscle mass as we get older, while falling oestrogen levels—which help to protect bone health—can accelerate bone loss.

“In fact, women can lose up to 10% of their bone density in the first five years after menopause, making them more prone to osteoporosis and breakages,” says Bossick.

The good news? Functional strength is something you can build at any age—and it's key for staying independent for longer.

As personal trainer Carly Corrigall puts it: “These movements become particularly relevant to maintaining independence as we get older, but I don't think we should see them simply as “minimum standards” to preserve. We should be looking to build strength and physical capacity wherever possible, not just hang on to what we've already got.”

7 Functional Strength Markers Every Woman Should Know

According to the experts, these are the simple functional strength markers you should prioritise, whatever your age:

1. Get Down on the Floor and Back Up Again

Both Corrigall and Bossick rate this one highly, and it's one of Corrigall's favourites. “It requires strength across multiple muscle groups, alongside mobility, balance and coordination,” she explains. “After all, if we fall, we want to be able to get back up again.'”

Try it: Start by practising moving from standing into a half-kneeling position and back again, using a sturdy chair or wall for support. Over time, try to rely on using your hands less.

2. Balance on One Leg

If you're in your 20s or 30s, Cubbins suggests aiming to stand on one leg for 40 seconds.

“This shows that your vestibular system in your ear, the vision in your eyes, and your muscles are all able to work effectively together,” she says. “It also proves that you have strong core muscles and good lower body stability.”

There's research to back this up, too. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that being able to balance on one leg for 10 seconds or longer was associated with better long-term survival in middle-aged or older adults.

Try it: “Next time you brush your teeth or wait for the kettle to boil, practise standing on one leg for 10 seconds at a time, which you can gradually build up,” suggests Cubbins.

3. Stand Up From a Chair Without Using Your Hands

“Being able to stand up from a chair without using your hands is a simple but useful indicator of leg and glute strength as well as your balance and coordination,” says Corrigall.

And how you sit back down matters just as much. “If you're effectively falling into the chair, it could suggest that you're lacking the strength or control to lower yourself slowly, which is something to work on,” she adds.

Try it: Start by using a higher surface (such as a bar stool or the edge of the bed) if you need to, then work towards a lower chair and eventually doing the movement without using your hands.

4. Carry Heavy Shopping Bags

“Carrying heavy shopping bags is perhaps my favourite marker of functional fitness, as it’s something most of us will have to do on a daily basis, says Cubbins. “Heavy bags test your core and upper-body strength, especially your grip strength.”

Try it: Start by holding a manageable weight in each hand and walking a short distance, keeping your shoulders relaxed and your body upright, then gradually increase the weight or distance.

5. Push Yourself Away From a Surface

Good news if you dread press-ups—you don't need to be able to perform 20 of them. “I’m not a fan of saying “you must be able to do x number of press-ups in order to be considered healthy”, as I think this is pretty arbitrary,” Corrigall says.

What matters more is having enough upper-body strength to be able to push yourself away from a surface, whether that's a heavy door or the floor.

Try it: Start with push-ups against a wall, then a kitchen worktop, and work your way down from there.

6. Lift Something From the Floor and Raise It Overhead

Whether you're lifting a suitcase into an overhead plane locker or lifting a child into a high chair, Corrigall says this is a great test of whole-body strength and coordination.

“You're asking several muscle groups to work together to move and control a load,” she explains.

Try it: Corrigall suggests breaking the movement into two parts. First, practise picking up a light object from a raised surface, and practise pressing a light weight from shoulder height to overhead, before combining the two movements.

7. Climb Four Flights of Stairs Without Stopping

“Climbing four flights of stairs without stopping in under a minute indicates good cardiovascular function," says Bossick. “While struggling usually points to weak legs, poor fitness, or both.”

And don't forget your calves, which Corrigall says are some of the most neglected muscles in strength training

Try it: Start with double-leg calf raises, holding onto a wall while lowering slowly, before progressing to single-leg raises.

Shop MC UK Approved Workout Essentials

Welcome to What Lily Loves, a personal edit of the pieces, places, and ideas currently inspiring me. Think of it as your insider guide to what’s shaping my wardrobe and daily rituals. From standout finds and under-the-radar designers to shopping destinations, cultural hotspots—from restaurants and theatres to podcasts—here are the latest discoveries I’m loving.

The Designer Drop

Mulberry's Stevie Bag

Alongside Christopher Kane’s triumphant return to London Fashion Week as Creative Director at Mulberry, we also saw the launch of the Mulberry Stevie bag. If you’ve been a long-time Bayswater fan, then this one’s for you. From sleek black leather with tonal black hardware to a rich shade of purple, there’s a style to suit every taste and need. There’s also a larger size available if you need room for your laptop. If you’re looking to upgrade your everyday handbag, this is it.

Spotlight On

High Street Coats

Despite loving the heat, after four months of wall-to-wall sunshine, I, along with the rest of the climate-conscious humans on Earth, have been praying for rain. Well, safe to say, our prayers have been answered. Rain is on the cards for most of the week ahead, and temperatures have also taken a dive.

So, what better time to pull last season’s coats out of your wardrobe and look to fill any gaps or replace tired-looking favourites? From Mint Velvet’s faux-fur-trim trench to ME+EM’s sharp wool overcoat, there are plenty of great options that will put a spring in your step on a cold and grey morning.

Shop my edit:

New In This Week

Mytheresa

I love the British High Street, but there are some pieces in my wardrobe that I choose to invest in, especially for winter. I’m always refreshing the Mytheresa new-in page, as it has long been my go-to for investment footwear from brands such as Aeyde and Le Monde Beryl, accessories such as Déhanche belts and Khaite sunglasses, and a great edit of one of my favourite Australian labels, Alemais. If you’re looking to add some special pieces to your wardrobe, here are six items worthy of your attention (and your money).

Shop my edit:

On My Radar

Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends

Legendary photographer Tim Walker celebrates queer identity, love and community in his latest exhibition, Fairyland, at the National Portrait Gallery. Known for his whimsical, fairytale-inspired imagery, Walker spent five years photographing queer activists, artists, performers and writers for the project, bringing together a collection of portraits and fantastical landscapes that explore LGBTQ+ culture and self-expression. Curated by Susanna Brown, the exhibition celebrates those challenging conventions and creating space for everyone to be themselves. A companion book features contributions from writers and LGBTQ+ advocates, including Travis Alabanza, Shon Faye and Joelle Taylor. And if you love a post-exhibition gift shop, there’s plenty of super-cool merch to be had, including T-shirts and a collaboration with Pandora, all perfect for Christmas gifts.

The exhibition is running from 9 October 2026 - 7 February 2027. Tickets are available to buy from the National Portrait Gallery website.

In Case You Missed It...

A staggering 72% of women change their outdoor activity routines during winter due to safety concerns. It’s a sobering statistic to consider as we approach Daylight Saving Time on Sunday 25 October, when the clocks go back in the UK and afternoon twilight hours inch closer.

For many women, the arrival of winter means reconsidering evening runs, rearranging gym sessions and finding new ways to stay active without compromising their personal safety. As a Health Writer and keen runner, it’s a chilling and frustrating reality that I still struggle to wrap my head around. Why should the changing seasons dictate when, where and how women feel comfortable exercising?

But personal safety isn’t the only reason the clocks changing can feel particularly frustrating for women. There’s another, less obvious factor at play: our biology. And while I’m all for hunkering down during cosy season, I find it frustrating that just as our social feeds become a constant stream of wellness challenges like The Great Lock-In and the Winter Arc, I’m often left feeling uncharacteristically tired and sluggish. Coincidence? Perhaps not.

Scientific research suggests women’s internal body clocks naturally run slightly earlier than men’s, which could make changes to our sleep-wake cycles particularly disruptive. A further study found that women tended to sleep less during the working week following the clock changes, while men actually slept more. The effect was most noticeable in spring, but a similar pattern emerged in autumn.

With our circadian rhythms influencing everything from sleep and mood to reproductive hormone regulation, could that seemingly harmless one-hour shift be having a bigger impact on women’s health than we realise? To find out, I spoke to experts about the science behind seasonal sleep disruption, why women’s bodies may respond differently, and the simple ways we can prepare ourselves for the darker months ahead.

While you're here, you might find this deep dive into circadian fasting interesting. We've got guides to sleepmaxxing, science-backed antidotes to optimisation culture and micro-habits that could positively impact your hormone health, too.

Do The Clocks Going Back Really Impact Women More Than Men?

Our bodies run on an internal 24-hour clock, known as our circadian rhythm, which helps regulate everything from sleep and alertness to body temperature and hormone release. It's largely guided by natural light, which is why the transition into darker seasons can leave us feeling a little off-kilter.

“When the clocks go back, our body clock doesn’t change when the clocks do, so the two briefly fall out of sync,” explains Dr Helen O'Neill, co-founder and CEO of Hertility. “Most people realign within a week, but the loss of evening daylight as winter sets in has a longer-lasting effect.”

Interestingly, research has found that women's internal body clocks tend to run slightly earlier than men's, meaning they're generally more inclined towards earlier bedtimes and mornings. But does that mean we're biologically more sensitive to the clocks changing?

“It's more complicated than a simple yes,” says O’Neill. "Hormones affect sleep across the cycle, pregnancy and perimenopause, but social factors matter just as much; women also still carry more caring responsibilities and night-time waking, which fragments sleep.”

What Is the Impact of Winter Darkness on Women's Hormones?

For people who menstruate, our body clocks are closely connected to the hormones that regulate our menstrual cycles, which means changes to our sleeping patterns can have a knock-on effect on how we feel.

Our circadian rhythms work alongside reproductive hormones such as oestrogen, luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which play important roles in everything from egg development to ovulation. Research suggests that how much we sleep, and when we naturally prefer to sleep, may influence these hormonal patterns.

“Light is one of the most important signals that keeps our circadian rhythm clock synchronised with our environment,” explains women's health and menopause expert Dr Shirin Lakhani. As the days get shorter, reduced exposure to natural light can influence when our bodies release melatonin (the hormone that helps regulate sleep), potentially affecting everything from our energy levels to our mood.

That said, there’s a difference between the effects of long-term sleep disruption and a one-hour clock change. While research has linked prolonged disruption to changes in reproductive hormone patterns, there's not yet enough evidence to suggest that the clocks going back alone will significantly alter your hormone levels.

Can the Clocks Going Back Affect Your Period, Mood and Energy Levels?

“Poor-quality or insufficient sleep can affect mood, concentration, energy levels and our ability to cope with stress, potentially making premenstrual symptoms feel more difficult to manage,” explains Lakhani.

For women who experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), that could mean more noticeable brain fog, irritability or fatigue when sleep is disrupted.

And it's not just our sleep patterns at play. Shorter days mean less natural light, which can also influence mood and energy levels. So, if your motivation to exercise tends to nose-dive along with the summer sunshine, there might be more to it than simply missing the warmer weather.

Why Might Menopausal Women Feel the Clock Change More?

Hot flushes, night sweats and disrupted sleep are already familiar symptoms for many, and the seasonal shift towards shorter days may add another layer of difficulty.

“In perimenopause, falling progesterone can disrupt sleep and shifting oestrogen triggers night sweats, so seasonal changes hit a system already under strain," explains O'Neill. "This stage also brings an increased risk of low mood, which shorter days can add to.”

And it’s not necessarily just a case of struggling to nod off. As Lakhani explains, changing hormone levels can cause women to wake repeatedly throughout the night, making a decent night's sleep increasingly difficult.

“When we add darker mornings, reduced daylight exposure and changes to daily routines, it may become harder for some women to maintain a consistent sleep-wake pattern,” she adds.

The TLDR? Poor sleep can leave you feeling more tired and emotionally drained during the day, while menopausal symptoms make a restful night harder to come by. The clock change isn’t necessarily responsible for those symptoms, but it could introduce another unwelcome disruption to an already unsettled sleep routine.

How to Prepare Your Body for the Clocks Going Back, According to Experts

1. Make the Most of Morning Daylight

If there’s one good reason to resist the snooze button this winter, it’s this. “Try to get natural light soon after waking,” recommends O’Neill. Daylight helps regulate our internal body clocks, so getting outside for a morning walk, a coffee run, or even a few minutes of fresh air can help your body adjust to the darker months.

2. Keep Your Sleep Routine Consistent

An extra hour in bed might sound like a treat, but O’Neill explains that it doesn’t necessarily translate into an extra hour of sleep. Many of us continue waking at our usual body-clock time, even after the clocks change. Her advice? Stick to regular bedtimes and wake-up times, and limit alcohol and late caffeine, particularly if you're already experiencing disrupted sleep. Most people adjust to the new clock time within a week.

3. Consider Supplementing With Vitamin D

O’Neill recommends following NHS guidance to consider taking 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D daily between October and March, when sunlight in the UK isn’t strong enough for our bodies to make sufficient amounts.

“Lower vitamin D over winter may also contribute, as it has been linked to worse PMS symptoms,” she adds. And if sleep problems, low mood or menopausal symptoms are interfering with daily life, it’s worth speaking to your GP rather than simply blaming the season.

Shop MC-UK approved sleep products now:

Picture this: I’m sat at the kitchen table, three lamps are on, a pumpkin is in the oven (a first attempt at carrot and pumpkin soup will commence in approximately one hour), and outside the window it’s already dark and raining. The perfect autumnal picture, yes—until I tell you I’m sat here in a shell jacket. Cool? Absolutely. But more field-friendly than dinner-and-drinks appropriate. Clearly experiencing the same fancy coverup dilemma, some of the best-dressed women I know are turning to a far more elevated coat and jacket alternative: faux fur-trim styles. Not too hot, not too cold and bursting with personality.

Coincidentally, or perhaps not, I’ve spotted an uptake in vintage-inspired faux fur-trim jackets popping up on the most influential Instagram accounts—in line with the latest Charlotte Simone drop. The designer is best known for her faux fur shaggy jackets beloved by the likes of Madonna, Taylor Swift, Alexa Chung and Olivia Palermo. My very own chocolate brown Charlotte Simone came out of storage this week—an official declaration that it’s now cold enough to reach for a coat, yet slightly too balmy for a full puffer.

Charlotte Simone isn’t the only brand garnering attention. Rixo’s Mica jacket has been spotted on many a Fashion Editor, with its chinoiserie-inspired floral design proving especially popular. Rotate’s puffball fur-trim coat is a slightly more practical option, while Self-Portrait and Hayley Menzies’ floral-embroidered coats take the trend to its maximalist extreme, demonstrating just how effectively this style can bring personality to otherwise simple outfits.

The high street has an impressively strong collection, too, with Mint Velvet and Zara taking the faux-fur-trim jacket trend in different directions, proving that cosy can be incorporated into every kind of coat design.

Your favourite jeans and a cosy knit are the low-effort styling pieces that will ensure you get daily wear out of these coats.

Read on for our edit of the vintage-inspired faux-fur-trim coats and jackets to invest in now.

Shop Our Edit of Fur-Trim Coats and Jackets

When a child is removed from their mother’s care, the priority is, understandably, the child’s safety. But what happens to the woman left behind?

It’s a question that has taken on renewed urgency following research published by University College London in June 2026, which revealed that women who had experienced care proceedings — court cases involving concerns about a child’s safety — were 21 times more likely to die within 10 years of giving birth than mothers who hadn’t.

“Normally when we look at these sorts of metrics it’s 3 or 5 times higher. To find 21 times more likely is really quite extraordinary,” explains Dr Matthew Jay, a senior data scientist at UCL.

Three-quarters of the deaths identified in the research were associated with homicide, suicide, injury or substance use. While the findings don’t establish that care proceedings caused these deaths, they expose the vulnerability of women who come into contact with the family court system.

“Not only is the risk of death much higher if a woman goes through care proceedings, but they’re preventable deaths,” Jay says.

The findings come amid growing concern about what happens to parents after their children are removed. Earlier this year, following the death of baby Victoria Marten, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel highlighted the lack of ongoing support available to parents after a child has been removed from their care, and the risks this can create both for them and for future children. It called for long-term provision independent of statutory safeguarding services.

Yet specialist support remains limited and geographically inconsistent. Pause, a national charity working with women to reduce the risk of repeat child removal, operates in only a fraction of England’s local authority areas. Elsewhere, the support available can depend heavily on where a woman lives.

Amy Van Zyl, CEO of HerCircle, a charity supporting women with complex motherhood needs, says that mothers can find themselves effectively left once their children are removed.

“All standard support drops away from mothers post-removal, because services around her are there for the child. Women are too often an afterthought…supporting them after child removal is left up to the goodwill of children’s social care,” she explains.

Yet, if the circumstances that led to a child’s removal leave their mother in need of significant support, who is responsible for helping her afterwards?

The Women Behind The Statistics

For Rowan, it’s a painfully personal question. In 2020, her 22-year-old sister Fern died by suicide in Buckinghamshire, just two hours after receiving an email informing her that her baby was going to be adopted.

With a history of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety and an autism diagnosis, Fern understood that she would need additional support during pregnancy and motherhood. Her family says she was proactive in seeking it. Throughout her pregnancy, she stopped self-harming and engaged with her GP, midwife, psychiatrist and Buckinghamshire Children’s Services.

Desperate to stay with her baby, but aware she needed support, Fern requested a place in a mother and baby hospital. She was refused. An autism specialist also contacted a unit with an adjacent outpatient department for autistic patients, but a referral was never made.

“Fern was backed into a corner. She asked for help, and she didn’t get any from many different sources. It was like social services were saying she was too unwell to look after her child, but not unwell enough to access what she needed so that she could stay with them,” Rowan says.

Her death would later become the subject of a coroner’s inquest, which identified the absence of independent advocacy and the way the news was communicated to her as contributing factors.

But Fern’s family believes her experience also exposes wider failures in the support available to vulnerable mothers navigating the child protection system. Fern had fought to have a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) removed from her medical records, but her family believes it continued to work against her.

Who Supports The Mother?

For younger mothers, involvement in the family court system is particularly common. According to research from the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, first-time mothers under 25 are twice as likely as older mothers to experience care proceedings. Younger mothers are also at greater risk of repeat proceedings.

The consequences of removal can be especially difficult for women already living with trauma, mental health difficulties or unstable circumstances.

Kate Tilley, Head of Partnerships and Engagement at Pause, describes the profound emotional impact of losing a child to the care system.

“Women are often left really struggling to come to terms with not just the issues that led to their child being taken into care, but that additional compounded level of grief and loss. And despite having really high levels of need, they fall between the cracks in services, or they’re not able to access the services that are available because they’re just too traumatised and defensive, or filled with shame. The stigma is huge,” she says.

That stigma can make it harder for mothers to seek help, particularly when the services offering support are connected to the authorities responsible for decisions about their children.

Van Zyl believes meaningful provision must be independent of those statutory safeguarding functions.

“Help needs to be commissioned out,” she emphasises. “It’s completely inappropriate that the service that has a legal duty to remove children would then provide the support a woman needs to get well and recover.”

The question isn’t just whether support exists, but whether women feel safe enough to access it, and if it continues for as long as they need it.

What Needs to Change?

Reforms to children’s social care are underway, including plans for more joined-up support through multi-agency teams and a single professional coordinating each family’s care.

But campaigners argue that support must extend beyond the point at which a child is removed, rather than disappearing precisely when a mother may be experiencing acute grief, trauma or crisis.

For Jay, the causes of death identified in the UCL research suggest that meaningful intervention could make a difference.

“It seems quite obvious looking at those categories of causes of death, like suicide, homicide and substance use, that with the right funding, services and support, we could bring that rate of deaths down,” he says.

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s recommendations suggest a growing recognition of that need. The challenge now is turning those recommendations into services that women can actually access, regardless of where they live.

But while these discussions take place, women are still dying prematurely. Just a few months ago, a woman Van Zyl was in contact with ended her own life after her child was removed from her care. The maternity team who delivered her baby all attended her funeral.

For Fern’s family, too, the impact of the lack of support is irreversible.

“I’m older than Fern was when she died now,” Rowan says. “I look like her, and her child does too. I can see myself in Fern every day.”

Her family questions whether better support could have changed what happened to Fern.

“What hurts me more than anything is that her death was pointless. What’s the point in all of that happening to her if it’s going to happen to someone else?”

As Rowan puts it: “If it’s all about protecting the child, we need to protect that child from their mum dying.”

There’s a point each autumn when the trusty jeans combination just needs a little update. This season, an argyle knit, with its overlapping diamond pattern and heritage feel, is the best way to breathe new life into the fail-safe outfit formula.

For autumn/winter 2026, Khaite and Altuzarra are offering a fresh interpretation of this knitwear classic. Try an oversized diamond motif for a bolder take, or introduce a little colour with an argyle cardigan layered over a plain white T-shirt. A short-sleeved knitted tee also works well beneath a blazer, with just enough pattern showing to break up darker tailoring.

We've put to edit of the best argyle knits for every price point. If you’re stuck for styling ideas, start with a classic beige trench, straight-leg jeans and leather ankle boots. Choose a knit in muted shades of grey, chocolate or navy to keep the combination understated, or let a brighter colourway become the focus.

How to Style Argyle Jumpers:

Beyond denim, try an argyle jumper with tailored trousers and loafers for an alternative workwear look, or a neat cardigan with a midi skirt. There’s plenty of scope to play with the pattern, but your existing autumn staples make a good starting point.

Shop the Best Argyle Jumpers

The Beauty Digest is my Beauty Director’s edit of what’s actually worth your attention. Each week, I’ll be sharing the new launches I’m using and loving, the viral treatments I’m putting to the test (and what I really think of the results), plus my take on the industry conversations everyone’s talking about.

The New Launches on My Radar

Spotlight On: Jones Road Conceal & Correct

When Bobbi Brown first launched her concealer-and-corrector duo under her namesake brand back in the 90s, it helped cement her status as a household name in the beauty industry. So when the legendary makeup artist announced a 2.0 version under her second brand, Jones Road, I was keen to compare notes. The new Wide Awake duo includes the Brightening Neutralizer, designed to counteract the blue, purple and brown tones associated with dark circles, and the Brightening Concealer to add coverage and luminosity.

So, the all-important question: how does the duo compare to the original? Well, I think it's better. The formulas feel more substantial and less creamy, delivering greater coverage without the heaviness or cakiness you might expect. In fact, somewhat counterintuitively, they actually feel lighter on the skin than the originals. The result is impressive coverage that still looks remarkably like skin. Which is exactly why everyone loves Bobbi.

Beauty Buzz: The Accessorisation of Beauty

Not so long ago, beauty products were confined to our makeup bags, only surfacing for a touch-up in the club toilets or a surreptitious reapplication in the back of a cab. Now, they're taking centre stage as accessories in their own right.

Rhode arguably pioneered the phenomenon with its viral Lip Case, which quickly became a status symbol. Since then, the brand has expanded into collectable charms and carabiners, but the SS27 shows took things to another level. Dior has taken the concept decidedly upmarket with its new Médaillon Lip Balm, housed in an ornate, vintage-inspired compact that can be attached directly to your phone. Even Givenchy is getting in on the action, with its on-the-go powder compact belt medallions and lipstick hair accessories.

Of course, there's an element of novelty, but I suspect something more enduring is at play. Beauty has become another way of signalling personal taste, with products increasingly designed to be seen as much as used. And, as someone who has spent an infuriating amount of time rummaging around the bottom of her handbag for a lip balm, I can certainly see the appeal.

For most women, finding a breast lump is the stuff of nightmares. While we know that the symptoms of breast cancer are more varied (and often harder to spot) than simply a lump, this is the scenario we tend to worry about in the middle of the night.

For 41-year-old psychologist and mum of two, Roxy Rhodes, it was exactly this discovery that changed her life forever. Just days after her mother-in-law finished her own breast cancer treatment, and the night after her 39th birthday, Rhodes felt a tiny, pea-shaped lump in her chest.

What followed was a gruelling two-year journey that pushed her to her limits, both mentally and physically, while also challenging all her preconceptions of breast cancer and the treatment process.

Below, she shares her story.

“Being ‘Young’ When Diagnosed With Cancer Changed the Course of My Treatment.”

“In December 2023, between Christmas and New Year, my mother-in-law found a lump in her breast. In May, we were all booked on a long-awaited family holiday to Disneyland, which had been postponed due to the COVID pandemic.

The day before my birthday in April, my mother-in-law, Gail, got the all-clear after a lumpectomy and five rounds of radiotherapy. We were all thrilled as it meant that she’d be able to join us on our much-anticipated trip.

But on 23^rd April, the day after my 39^th birthday, we were dealt another blow. I was just going to sleep; I’d said goodnight to my husband, Tom, and as I rolled over to get settled, my hand grazed my boob, and I felt the tiniest lump. It was total luck that I felt it. I immediately asked Tom to feel it, and he agreed there was something there, but as I’d had cysts in the past, I just assumed that that’s what it was again.

It was very round and pea-like, but smaller than a pea. If ever I felt that there was someone looking after me, it was in the weeks that followed, and it became clear how fortunate I’d been to have found it.

My overriding feeling was how on earth I was going to find the time to deal with making a doctor’s appointment and everything else that would be needed—I honestly just wasn’t overly concerned about it. That became a recurring theme throughout my treatment: I had to find time to fit it in.

What Happens After You Find a Breast Lump

I messaged the GP, and they rang me to tell me to go in and get it checked, which I did the same day. Again, the doctor was quite reassuring, but he said he could feel a lump and he had to refer me for a mammogram. So, I was put on the two-week cancer pathway, which is standard NHS practice whenever someone presents with a lump.

The service is very stretched in my area, so I ended up waiting longer than two weeks. But I was keen to get seen as soon as possible, so I ended up making a private scan appointment.

The clinic was amazing; it’s essentially a one-stop shop where you can go through the whole diagnostic process in one go, from mammogram and ultrasound to biopsy. When I was having the ultrasound, the doctor was incredibly thorough—and I was so fortunate that she was. She said that because she couldn’t quite see the very bottom of the lump, she was going to do a biopsy for the sake of clarity. If she hadn’t done this, things could have looked very different for me.

As soon as we walked into the consultant’s room, I knew instantly that I had cancer. As a psychotherapist, I’ve worked a lot in the NHS, and the moment I saw her face, I just knew. And then came the absolute worst part of the whole journey for me, which was having to watch my husband find out. Out of everything that was to come, that was my worst moment.

After Diagnosis, Things Happen Really Fast

I found out that the lump was hormone-positive but didn’t yet know if it was HER2-positive (HER2-positive cancers are typically more aggressive and are treated in different ways), so we weren’t sure of my treatment route.

Despite this, once you’ve been told you have cancer, you move into the life of being a cancer patient that same day—and it’s genuinely like a full-time job. I can’t explain how many letters you get, how much admin there is to deal with, how many appointments get cancelled, or how you don’t know what they’re for. It’s a constant bombardment of letters and paper arriving. Trying to manage where I was supposed to be and where, and then fit my life in around it, was a real challenge.

Since I was under 40, I was sent for an MRI scan, and there they discovered another lump lower down the same breast, which hadn’t shown up on the ultrasound. Because there were two lumps, I had to have a full mastectomy; I couldn’t just have a lumpectomy anymore.

We found out that the cancer was grade 1, stage 1, which is the tiniest cancer. I still count myself incredibly lucky we caught it at that stage when I think about how much treatment I ended up having. However, because they still weren’t sure about my Her-2 results, they couldn’t confirm my treatment plan for what felt like ages.

I finally had my mastectomy in mid-July, but I still didn’t know whether I’d need to have chemo, and we were all just praying I wouldn’t need it.

However, we eventually found out that the tumours were HER2-positive, which meant I did need chemo. I had twelve weeks of treatment, every Friday. They also removed my lymph nodes. Because I was so young, they didn’t want to risk skipping chemo, plus wanted to ensure nothing was floating around.

I also had a year of Herceptin injections, every three weeks for a year, which started when I was in chemo.

Again, because I’m young, the advice was to take Tamoxifen, a drug that blocks the effects of the hormone oestrogen in certain tissues, for ten years, but I chose to come off it after four months. They push you into full menopause, and I couldn’t handle it. The joint pain, exhaustion and lack of energy were too much for me after everything I’d already been through.

Don't Be Scared of Chemotherapy

From the moment I found out I had cancer, my biggest fear was chemo, due to my perceptions of what it would be like from seeing it portrayed in the media. And one of the most important things I would say is that it’s absolutely nothing like you think it’s going to be—it was totally fine.

TV tends to show perfectly bald people throwing up, but I wasn’t sick once. You’re given anti-sickness tablets the whole way through, and the dose is fine-tuned to your exact weight and height, so it’s so well controlled. I felt a bit nauseous after my first session, so I took two anti-sickness pills but never had to take them again—I didn’t even feel sick. I also don’t know anyone else who was sick—and I got to know everyone.

The first chemo session is terrifying. There are so many different types, and before you go into your first session, you have a kind of therapy session, and it seemed almost like they were trying to scare us. Bearing in mind, I was terrified. I felt like they were trying to get us to take it seriously, when all the way through I’d tried to maintain a positive outlook.

I was so lucky that I live close to a specialist cancer treatment centre where I had all my treatment, and I can honestly say that I used to look forward to it. On a Friday, it was only breast cancer patients as well, which made it feel almost like a little coffee morning—all the nurses were amazing, and I got to know the other women really well. You’re given lunch and endless cups of tea by the wonderful volunteers, and it’s just such a gorgeous atmosphere. We were all laughing and giggling, and it was honestly lovely.

On the chemo ward, you’re meeting people at their very bravest, and it’s such a privilege to spend time with them when they’re at their most vulnerable.

Losing My Hair Was So Much Harder Than I'd Expected

I finished chemo at the beginning of December, and I lost my hair after my fourth session, and that was the second worst day of the whole experience. I’d thought I might get away with it, and I felt like I’d gone through so much already. It felt like I was losing my hair forever.

I remember we shaved my head on a Sunday, and on the Monday I had to go to a school assembly for one of my kids, I wore a wig for the first time—and honestly, that was the time I had to be the absolute bravest, as I felt like everyone could tell. Over time, I got used to the wigs, and I wore some pretty crazy ones.

I do feel, looking back, that I could have challenged the chemo decision, but I didn’t realise at the time that I may have had a choice. I don’t know if I would have said no to it, but with hindsight, one of my biggest takeaways is that you have to question everything, much more than you think.

The cancer teams tell you that when you have to make a decision, to ask yourself the following questions:

• What are the consequences if I do this?
• What are the consequences if I don’t do this?
• What other options are there?
• What if I do nothing?

The Type of Cancer You Have Changes Your Treatment Plan

Be prepared to wait to find out what type of cancer you have, and make sure you get this information as soon as possible, as your whole treatment plan depends on it.

Hormone-driven tumours tend to be a ‘good’ thing, as they can be treated with medication and you might not require chemotherapy. So, it’s vital to be clear about what kind of tumour you have, as early on as possible.

People will surprise you all the way through the process, in good and bad ways. People you hardly know will step up and be amazing—there was one guy I worked with who used to cook me a homemade pie every week without fail and drop it round to my house—a good hour’s round trip for him, once a week.

And other people will let you down beyond belief, and you have to be ok with that, too. People that you’d think would be there won’t be. Also, once you’ve finished chemo, everyone thinks you’re back to normal, and things are fine again, but your life has changed forever. Any grace you had was gone.

Finishing Chemo Might Feel Like an Anti-Climax

I remember after my last Herceptin injection, when I was officially finished with treatment, I expected to feel relieved. But it’s not relief. It’s so strange, this whole thing that you had for three months that took up so much time and headspace just ends, and there’s no transition period or support through this—you just stop going there.

You’ve built it into your life, and suddenly it’s gone, and you don’t have that structure—it’s such a weird feeling not to have any more appointments. You don’t get to say goodbye to the team who have cared for you; you just never go back—and it feels like you’re cut off from that support.

I feel really strongly that there should be more focus on the transition out of active treatment, in the same way as there is going in. I didn’t feel like I needed that much support while I was in treatment, but afterwards I really struggled and felt a bit numb.

Please don’t ever think you’re too young for critical illness cover.

I wasn’t even aware that I had this cover in place, but I’m so grateful that I did. They paid out immediately as soon as I was diagnosed—it’s not life-changing money, but it’s absolutely allowed us to do some things that we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to.

I’m self-employed, and I managed to carry on working fairly normally, but if you do have to take leave, this money will be incredibly important. There’s no financial support when you’re self-employed, so critical illness is crucial.”

The case against Jane Doe, as scores of strangers have assembled it online, begins the morning after. She reportedly walked home from Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house and told her roommates she had taken ketamine and had sex with multiple men, without calling it rape or assault. One roommate later said she seemed to be “in shock.” The next day, she texted one of the men she would later accuse to reassure him. Days later, she still wanted to attend a Halloween party at Chi Phi.

The Jane Doe in question has become the centre of one of the most closely watched campus sexual assault cases in years. Her civil lawsuit, filed in September, accuses seven Chi Phi members of sexually assaulting her after she says she was pressured into taking ketamine at the house in October 2024. The Tompkins County district attorney declined to prosecute, but the case only grew from there. Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor, and an #IamJaneDoe solidarity campaign spread across social media.

But the informal prosecution—the one running in comment sections, group chats, and viral threads—keeps circling back to what Jane Doe did in the aftermath. The logic is stubbornly persistent: that a real victim would act like one right away, and that anything short of immediate collapse or a police report is something closer to regret. It is an assumption that decades of research have discredited, and one that survivors exposed to even a fraction of this scrutiny recognise immediately, because most of them failed the same test.

Jennifer Freyd, Professor Emerit of Psychology at the University of Oregon and founder and president of the Center for Institutional Courage, has spent decades researching how people respond to sexual trauma. Asked whether there is a typical response against which to measure Jane Doe’s, her answer was simple: “No, I don’t think there is.” In anonymous surveys, Freyd and other researchers have asked people about sexual experiences behaviourally, without first requiring them to identify what happened as rape or assault. Some respondents describe experiences that meet the legal definition of rape, she says, but still do not use the word themselves. “Very few people say that they were raped,” Freyd says. “Even if they just indicated to us with a behavioural item that their experience met the legal definition of rape.”

While the public debate has turned on what Jane Doe should have done, Marie Claire asked five women who say they were sexually assaulted in college to describe what they actually did in the hours and days that followed. If post-assault behaviour is going to be used as a litmus test for credibility, it seemed worth asking the people who say they have actually lived through it what the morning after really looked like for them.

Caroline Raphael, now 27, was 18 and in her first semester of college at the University of Miami when she says she was drugged at a fraternity date party and sexually assaulted afterward. What she remembers first about the next morning is the few seconds before she remembered. “Just like I was waking up confused, but not scared or that anything had happened or that anything was wrong,” she says. “And then that ended really quickly and I remembered everything and it was horrifying.”

Her next thought was about an exam. “It was an excuse to think about anything else,” she says. Raphael grabbed her books and computer and went to the common room on her floor, where she read without absorbing much. “Feeling frantic and feeling like I couldn’t pause,” she says. “I had to move and keep going.” Friends from the night before tried to check on her. “I don’t even think I said words,” she says. “I think I just was hands up, like I can’t do this. I can’t talk about it.”

She took the exam anyway, sitting through it thinking, Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Afterward, walking with a classmate, she started crying and told her some of what had happened. Over the next several days, Raphael went to a tailgate, another fraternity party, and a football game, where she did a beer bong. “I was trying to do what felt like normal college behaviour on paper,” she says.

Freyd sees that pull toward normalcy in case after case. “There’s this desire to not have had a terrible victimisation experience,” she says. “If you can return to things being normal, then maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. People don’t want to be victims. They don’t want to have lived through a terrible thing.”

Research bears this out at scale. Across 28 studies encompassing nearly 6,000 survivors, psychologists found that roughly 60 percent of women whose experiences met the legal definition of rape never identified them as such. Among college-age women, the figure was closer to 63 percent.

Amalia Bob-Waksberg, now 35 and based in Oakland, California, was a 19-year-old freshman at Brandeis around 2010 when she says she was sexually assaulted while visiting a friend at Harvard. She woke in the man’s bed the next morning and remembers leaving while he was in the shower, then finding her friend and the friend’s boyfriend in a dining hall and trying to explain the night. “I was trying to make it sound playful almost,” she says. “I feel like I was trying to rewrite it as a bad hookup.”

On the shuttle back to Brandeis, she fell apart. “I went into a foetal position in a ball on the floor of the shuttle crying,” she says. “I was really embarrassed, but I felt so out of my body.” A friend met her at the stop and helped her find someone to talk to. Bob-Waksberg says her therapist was eventually the person who put a name to what had happened: “You were sexually assaulted.” Bob-Waksberg was still parsing what that meant. “I wasn’t raped, so I didn’t know if I could use that word,” she says.

In the days afterward, someone uploaded a photo from the party to Facebook. Bob-Waksberg tagged herself and her friend in one. “Looking back, I remember being like, ‘That’s so weird that I did that,’” she says. “I think I was trying to rewrite that night as a fun thing.” The man she says assaulted her later sent her a Facebook friend request.

Those things can exist together, Freyd says: someone can be deeply distressed and still resist the explanation for why. “People are complicated. There can be two things going on at the same time,” she says. “If they’re able to compartmentalise it and in some sense pretend it didn't happen and that everything's okay, that’s a very understandable desire.”

Only one in five college students who experience rape or sexual assault report to police, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. What happens when a survivor first tells someone can help shape what comes next. Freyd says survivors will sometimes disclose only a small piece of an experience to someone they trust and wait to see what happens. “If it doesn’t go well, they shut up,” she says. “But if they get really supported and there’s a compassionate, respectful listening occurring, they may tell the whole story.”

Rachel Newman, 22, had someone who listened. Her morning began around six, when she says she woke to a man she knew raping her in her dorm room at a small college in Florida during her first semester. Newman says she pretended to remain asleep, hoping he would stop. Eventually, she physically moved him off her but stayed in the lofted bed because getting out would have meant crawling over him. “I didn’t really want physical contact from him in that moment,” she says. She thought about whom she could call once it was a reasonable hour. “And I went back to sleep.”

When Newman woke again, she began calling friends. Most were off campus, so she eventually reached her roommate, with whom she had recently had a fight, and the two met in a parking lot. “All I could say was I needed to go to the ER, but I couldn’t verbalise, oh, I need to get a rape kit, or I have just been raped. And so I remember I made her guess because I just couldn’t get the words out.”

She remembers the rape-kit process taking about eight hours. Her roommate stayed and brought snacks: cotton candy and Apple Jacks. At one point, Newman put on one of the monthly playlists she kept on her phone, only for it to shuffle to a song called “Bimbo Doll.” “That’s probably not the best song for the circumstances right now,” she remembers saying before turning the music off.

Newman reported to campus police two days later and also pursued a Title IX case. The criminal investigation remained open for two years without charges; the Title IX case was dismissed after the other student unenrolled. “There’s just no right way to respond,” Newman says. “There’s no guidebook on how to navigate something like that.”

It took Jill Christman about a year to find the word for what happened to her. She was 18 and a freshman at the University of Oregon when she says an older student raped her during a fraternity trip to a houseboat on Lake Shasta. Christman says he put a pillow over her face so other people wouldn’t hear her struggling. By the next morning, the man was offering her donuts from a paper bag stained with grease. “You get first choice,” he told her. She remembers the bright sun after a long, cold night. She remembers him looking “monstrous” in the daylight. “I wanted to reject everything about the situation,” she says.

She still needed to get back to Oregon, so she rode back in an SUV with him, her friend and others from the trip. He started calling her almost immediately afterward, she says, apparently thinking they would go on another date. Christman, meanwhile, returned to being an honors student and a straight-A student and remembers crying when she was alone. “Nothing stopped me from doing what I was supposed to do in the world,” she says. “It would’ve been completely imperceptible to anyone who knew me except for when I was alone and I was crying.”

“I failed to identify what happened to me as rape,” Christman says. “I just didn’t know how to name it. I did not have language for what had happened to me.” About a year later, as a sophomore, she read Robin Warshaw’s I Never Called It Rape and began telling people what had happened.

The man, in Christman’s telling, used the word before she did. Within weeks of the assault, she needed a ride from Eugene to the Portland airport and knew he would give her one, so she asked. When he picked her up, she says, a lace belt she had worn the night of the party was tied to the mirror of his car “like a trophy.” On the way, he stopped at his parents’ house, took her into his bedroom and pushed her down onto the bed. Christman panicked. He laughed and asked, she recalls, “What did you think I was going to do? Rape you?”

Freyd calls this larger dynamic “betrayal trauma”: when the person who harms you is someone you trust or depend on, acknowledging the betrayal can threaten the relationship itself. “If you respond to that betrayal by pulling away or confronting the person, that can put the whole relationship at risk,” she says. In some cases, a person may try to salvage the relationship by smoothing over what happened or making it feel somehow okay.

Christman, 57, wrote the full story down 30 years later for Roxane Gay’s anthology Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture. She describes shedding the shame around assault as a decades-long process. Looking at Jane Doe’s account now, Christman says: “I would say that she reached a place of clarity and truth astoundingly quickly. It took me a year to say that.” And then: “It’s going to take her years to put the shame down. I know that because I’ve been through it.”

The basement computer lab at Beloit College was empty, which is why Kristina Erickson went there early one morning during her freshman year. She was 18, and minutes earlier, she says, she had pushed a man’s hand away and said no, but he persisted.

Afterward, Erickson made an excuse about getting ready for breakfast and went straight to the computer lab in the basement between their dorms, connected by a tunnel. She hesitated before logging in, worried her username might leave some kind of record. Then she typed a question into Google, trying to find out whether what had just happened to her was rape. She refined the search, adjusting the terms, but couldn't find an answer that felt right. “I didn’t want those words to apply to the situation,” she says. Then she closed the browser and went to breakfast. She’s fairly sure she saw him there.

In the years that followed, Erickson became one of the most visible sexual-assault prevention advocates on her campus, leading Take Back the Night rallies and training with the Sexual Assault Recovery Program (SARP) of Rock County to counsel survivors in hospitals and with police. On the hotline, Erickson says, it was common for women in their fifties and sixties to call about something that had happened when they were children. “They finally had the time to process it,” she says. “Life stopped enough that they kept thinking back to what happened.”

Erickson, now 35, was 20 when she started counselling other survivors. Often, the women would describe what happened and ask the same question: Was that rape?

Erickson always knew the answer. She recognised it every time.

This content originally appeared on Marie Claire US

Until earlier this year, I was what you’d call blessed in the ‘being able to sleep’ department. Aside from a few (albeit lengthy) periods when my children were little, I’ve always slept well and soundly, having no trouble falling—and staying—asleep.

The summer I turned 47, though, everything changed. Literally overnight (excuse the pun), I began waking at around 4 am—every. Single. Night. I was going through a bit of a tough time, so initially I simply put it down to being stressed—but when things resolved and my sleep was still all over the place, it became clear that something deeper was going on.

Clearly, I’m a prime candidate for being perimenopausal, but since I have the hormonal coil fitted, I honestly can’t say I’ve experienced that many symptoms so far—and my periods are pretty much non-existent, and have been since I first had the coil 10 years ago (life-changing, but that’s a story for another time).

So, it took me a little while to make the connection between my sleep issues and my hormones. But when the penny finally dropped, it was clear that peri was doing me dirty when it came to catching z’s (the night I woke up bathed in a sheen of sweat really cemented the fact).

And while initially, I was still falling asleep pretty easily, this too has started to shift, and it can take me upwards of an hour to drift off, even when I’m really tired. I don’t cope well on little sleep (or when I’m cold, or hungry…there’s a pattern, here!), so I started doing a little digging to see what I could do to help myself. It wasn’t long before my feed was flooded with supplements (nothing excites the algorithm like a menopausal woman, it seems), and I came across the Huberman stack.

While not designed specifically for menopause (and I’ll go into exactly what the ‘stack’ is below), Stanford University neuroscientist and podcaster Andrew Huberman designed his eponymous supplement stack with sleep firmly in mind. Keep scrolling to see if it transformed my slumber, but in the meantime, do take a look at our extensive sleep content, featuring everything from how to improve sleep and how to boost energy when you're tired to the symptoms of exhaustion you shouldn't overlook—plus, find out how one Health Writer got on when she tried a 10-minute sleep micro-habit, here.

I Tried Andrew Huberman’s Sleep Stack Supplement for a Week To See if It Would Help

Why Do Women Struggle With Sleep in Perimenopause?

It seems a cruel twist of fate, if you think about it. Many perimenopausal women are just exiting the sleep-deprived years of having small children, when we are all desperate for a full night’s sleep and are surviving rather than thriving every day, when we’re hurled straight into a decade (or more) of menopause symptoms.

But why is our sleep affected? Well, it’s complicated.

“Sleep problems are one of the most common, and most overlooked symptoms during the menopause transition and may be attributed to a few complexities going on in a woman’s body at once,” explains GP, TV doctor and women's health expert Dr Semiya Aziz. “These can be loosely attributed to hormone fluctuations, night sweats and mood and anxiety issues.”

1. Hormonal Fluctuations

Here's the real kicker. “Declining oestrogen and progesterone both affect sleep patterns,” shares Dr Aziz. “However, the underlying mechanisms are far more complex, and it's important to understand that not every woman’s sleep issue is caused directly by hormonal changes.

“Progesterone has a mild calming, sleep-promoting effect, whilst oestrogen helps to regulate body temperature, serotonin and melatonin levels. As the levels of each hormone become erratic, sleep may become lighter and more fragmented, although complex processes are involved and can not all be attributed to hormonal variability.”

2. Vasomotor Issues

“Night sweats and hot flushes (also known as vasomotor symptoms) are common in menopause and can wake women up,” she continues. “Even if women aren’t fully alert, they can disrupt their sleep quality significantly.”

3. Mental Health Shifts

“Mental health changes can make early-morning waking very common, as perimenopause brings anxiety, low moods and racing thoughts,” says Dr Aziz. “The relationship is interestingly bidirectional: anxiety and depression can disrupt sleep, whilst persistent poor sleep can worsen mood and emotional regulation.”

What Is the Huberman Sleep Stack and What Are the Benefits for Perimenopausal Women?

As touched on above, Andrew Huberman is an American neuroscientist, best known for his hugely successful podcast, The Huberman Lab. Rated consistently as the number one wellness pod, it has over five million subscribers, while his following on Instagram alone is over eight million.

And his sleep protocol is a large part of his success: back in 2021, he launched his toolkit for sleep—and the rest, as they say, is history. From this, Huberman developed his ‘sleep stack’: a cocktail of three sleep-inducing supplements, magnesium, apigenin and L-theanine.

“Although Andrew Huberman’s protocol wasn’t specifically designed for perimenopause, its mechanics are pretty well-suited to the symptoms many women face,” shares GP and clinical lead at Treated, Dr Daniel Atkinson. “The trio can work well for sleep issues.”

Let's take a look at them each in turn.

1. Magnesium

You've probably heard a few people talking about the benefits of magnesium for sleep, and research does show a link between the supplement and improved energy, circadian rhythm and sleep regulation (take a look at this study from the journal Nature and Science of Sleep). And the experts agree.

“Magnesium is brilliant for calming the central nervous system and relaxing tense muscles,” says Dr Atkinson. “Threonate is particularly clever because it crosses the blood-brain barrier effectively, while Bisglycinate is highly absorbable and gentle on the stomach. And both of these help boost GABA, a neurotransmitter that quiets brain activity, which can ‘plug the gap’ left by lower progesterone levels.”

2. Apigenin

Again, clinical studies show apigenin to be useful in promoting good sleep architecture—but it's worth noting here that this is animal, rather than human, research.

“Apigenin is the active compound found in chamomile tea, but in a highly concentrated (50mg) dose,” shares Dr Atkinson. “It binds to the same receptors in the brain as anti-anxiety medications, helping to turn off the racing thoughts that keep you staring at the ceiling.”

3. L-theanine

“L-Theanine is an amino acid found naturally in green tea,” Dr Atkinson continues. “It increases alpha brain waves, which promotes a state of relaxed alertness and takes the edge off physical anxiety without making you feel heavily sedated.”

This is also supported by the science, with research showing a link between L-theanine and sleep quality.

Can Supplements Really Help Women Sleep?

It’s clear, then, that the efficacy of the trio of supplements individually has some scientific backing, but what about when it comes to treating menopausal symptoms? There’s been a fair bit of noise online, recently, about whether menopause supplements are really worth the (admittedly eye-wateringly high) money. It’s estimated that the market is worth a staggering $17 billion, with many women spending upwards of £1,800 per year on supplements. So, what do the experts think about the efficacy of the sleep stack, in particular?

“Potentially, these supplements could help women sleep, but I think we need to be realistic about what they can achieve,” says sleep specialist, nutritionist and founder of Rare Street Pilates, Nikki Behrens. “Certain nutrients and compounds may help support relaxation and sleep quality, particularly if someone has a deficiency or is struggling to switch off mentally.

“However, supplements cannot correct the hormonal fluctuations responsible for many perimenopausal symptoms. I would always look at the bigger picture first: nutrition, stress, exercise, hormonal symptoms and sleep habits.”

It’s important to note here, too, that while the supplements do have some research behind them, they haven’t been tested on perimenopausal women.

“Magnesium and L-theanine do have small studies suggesting benefits for relaxation or sleep quality,” notes Dr Aziz, “but these weren’t conducted in perimenopausal women specifically, so the evidence is not strong enough as an established treatment for perimenopausal insomnia.”

I Tried the Huberman Sleep Stack for a Week—My Honest Thoughts

Days One to Three

The jury being out, there was only one thing for it: I had to give the stack a try for myself.

For the sake of clarity, I didn’t purchase Huberman’s actual stack. There are a number of products that contain the same supplements available, so I simply plumped for one that seemed reasonably priced and would arrive in good time.

And it couldn’t come soon enough: my Oura ring gives me daily feedback on my sleep, and let’s just say, the picture hasn’t been pretty. This being said, I’m a little sceptical that the stack will make any difference.

On the first night, I only take one of the three recommended capsules (the supplements are blended together, so you’re not taking them all individually)

Note to self, though: do not take a capsule unless you’re able to actually go to bed within an hour or so. On night three, I made the mistake of taking it too early and having to wait to collect my teenage daughter from her job at pub closing time; let’s just say, I wasn’t up for a 1 am kitchen chat with her (sorry).

Whether I felt sleepy because I knew I had to stay awake (always the way), or because of the supplement, who knows—but ultimately, the end result was the same, and I was winning.

And it seems it wasn't just beginners' luck, either, as the next two nights continued in the same vein—so far, so good.

Days Four to Seven

Is it a placebo, or are the supplements actually helping? At this point, I’m not even really sure I care. While I’m still waking up around 4 am, I’m definitely less alert when I stir, and I'm able to get back to sleep more easily than before, which I’m absolutely taking as a win.

Interestingly, though, I also got my first period in almost 60 days during the trial week, which might account for my overwhelming tiredness (surely not just me?), but again, I’m taking all the sleep I can get, right now.

Perhaps my biggest win, though, is that I'm so much more tuned in to what my body and brain need to really be able to switch off. Focusing on taking the supplement half an hour to an hour before bed provided me with a concrete deadline to start winding down—something I'm notoriously poor at doing, usually. I even found the time to try out the LED face mask that's been gathering dust in my bathroom for a couple of months, so perhaps this new routine will garner benefits beyond my sleep, too.

So, will I continue with the stack? Honestly, I’d be really interested to try the supplements individually, to see which one is most effective, or if I really do need them all. But that’s a challenge for another time; for now, I’m all in.

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There is no shortage of beauty brands vying for our attention. Between the seemingly endless stream of celebrity launches, viral TikTok discoveries and increasingly elaborate skincare routines, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’ve reached peak beauty. Do we really need another serum? Another fragrance brand? Another product promising to revolutionise something we’ve been doing perfectly well for decades?

Well, occasionally, the answer is yes. Because every so often, a brand comes along that offers something that’s actually innovative. It could be as simple as solving an everyday frustration, bringing a fresh outlook to a familiar category, or, sometimes, a product that makes you wonder why no one thought of it before.

Finding these brands, however, is becoming something of an art form. With so much noise surrounding new launches, separating true innovation from clever marketing tactics isn’t always easy. And while a viral moment might generate thousands of sales, it doesn’t necessarily make for a brilliant product—or a business with any real staying power.

It’s something I was particularly interested in discussing with Catherine Spindler, President of Sephora Europe and the Middle East, ahead of SEPHORiA’s London debut. After all, few retailers have quite the same vantage point when it comes to identifying the brands that might become tomorrow’s household names.

“The beauty market is undoubtedly more competitive than ever,” she tells me. “The challenge for brands is to offer something genuinely meaningful in a crowded landscape. Virality can be an incredibly powerful introduction to a brand, and social media has transformed how quickly new products and founders can reach consumers. But awareness and long-term success are not the same thing.”

Instead, she points to repeat purchases, consistent product performance and the ability to innovate beyond an initial hero product as more meaningful indicators of longevity.

“We are seeing innovation across several areas, from advanced technologies that help us better understand individual skin needs to next-generation ingredients, new beauty rituals and a more holistic approach to self-care.”

Which brings me to three particularly interesting names: Substance of Light, French Cowboy and Omad’s. All relatively young European businesses, all approaching established beauty categories from rather different angles, and all recently recognised at the inaugural Sephora Prize, selected from 150 applicants.

Here is why they’re worth having on your radar.

Substance of Light: The SPF Brand Tackling One of Skincare’s Most Enduring Problems

If there’s one skincare mantra we’ve all heard a million times, it’s to wear SPF every day. And to reapply it throughout the day. The trouble is that while the advice is perfectly reasonable, the practicalities are somewhat less appealing, particularly if you’re wearing a full face of makeup.

The French brand Substance of Light is trying to solve this problem. Founded in 2021 by Clara Nentille, the brand approaches sun protection as something that needs to fit seamlessly into everyday life, rather than requiring us to pivot our routines around it.

Its formulations combine high UV protection with skincare benefits and an emphasis on texture, but the product that really caught my attention is its spray format, designed to be reapplied over makeup, while offering adequate protection.

It’s not attempting to reinvent the entire concept of sun protection. But it identifies the gap between what consumers know they should be doing and what they realistically do. And that, arguably, is where some of the most useful beauty innovation happens.

The brand took first place at the Sephora Prize, securing three years of mentoring and development support. But the underlying idea, not the accolade, makes it one to watch.

French Cowboy: A Different Kind of Niche Fragrance House

Niche perfumery has undergone something of a transformation in recent years. Once the preserve of dedicated fragrance devotees and prohibitively expensive boutiques, independent perfume houses have become increasingly prominent in mainstream beauty culture.

But with so many new fragrance brands entering the market, the definition of niche has become a little more complicated. An edgy bottle and a quirky description of sandalwood aren’t necessarily enough to make a fragrance interesting.

French Cowboy, founded in 2025 by Ashley Santiago and Adrien Ollat, takes a slightly different approach, aiming to make haute parfumerie more accessible by creating scents in collaboration with personalities from the contemporary creative world. Take their Vanilla For Breakfast Eau de Parfum, created in collaboration with Mia Fall, a Paris-based French beauty influencer and academic specialising in artificial intelligence, big data and robotics. She’s a self-confessed vanilla maximalist, and the fragrance features four different vanillas, each chosen for the face its extraction method reveals to create the fragrance Fall always wished existed.

Omad’s: The Haircare Brand Bringing a Family Beauty Secret Into the Modern Age

Founded in Belgium in 2021 by Zoé Jadot and Julien Dupont, Omad’s takes its inspiration from a homemade haircare recipe passed down by a grandmother. Its sole focus? Products designed to gradually and naturally brighten blonde hair at home.

The appeal is easy to understand. For anyone who wants to maintain or subtly boost their blonde hair without committing to a dramatic colour transformation, the prospect of gradual brightening is an attractive one.

And in an industry where more products, more steps and more complicated routines are frequently presented as progress, this hyper-focused approach feels remarkably refreshing.

Ladies, I’m calling a town hall meeting—I need to air an intrusive thought. When did being knackered become a personal failing—and “fixing” it a measure of how well we’re doing at life?

Actually, I lied. This isn’t an intrusive thought so much as a conversation I’ve been having with almost every woman in my life. We’re on the same treadmill—the seemingly endless urge to fix everything, with the wellness world giving us an ever-expanding toolkit to keep us running.

Guilty as charged. The minute I feel sluggish or vaguely unlike myself, I’m hunting for answers, only stopping when I feel satisfied with my “fix”. That fix being: supplements, cold plunges, earlier bedtimes, caffeine hacks, morning sunlight, protein, electrolytes, exercise. Anything to get me back to firing on all cylinders, preferably by tomorrow. It rarely occurs to me to question the pace I'm trying to maintain. I simply want to feel better so I can crack on. Perhaps that’s the mantra of modern life: feel better, do more.

Hardly surprising really when there’s always another fix promising to get us back to 100%. A 2025 Which? survey found that 76% of UK adults surveyed took supplements, with one in six supplement users taking at least four. We’re certainly not short of solutions. But are we getting any closer to asking the right questions?

So, for the sake of our fatigue, take a seat: an intervention is on the cards. For a month, I stopped trying to “fix” my tiredness and started paying attention to what it might be telling me. With expert advice, I’m separating useful fixes from wellness waffle—and discovering whether, in trying to outrun my tiredness, I’ve lost touch with the basics my body actually needs.

What Happened When I Stopped Trying To “Fix” My Tiredness For A Month

Is It Normal to Feel This Tired? What Tracking My Energy Revealed

Tracking my fatigue for a month was always going to be humbling for a chronic Type A who says yes to everything, then wonders why she’s got nothing left. Being busy is my kryptonite, but also my go-to excuse for feeling tired; finding a fix is my knee-jerk reaction. Cue a flurry of little rituals designed to wipe the fatigue slate clean: checking Oura scores, bargaining with myself over whether a sluggish morning needs a stronger coffee or an earlier night, the PM slump fixed with a protein bar of electrolyte (yes, I really do tell myself these work)

But my notes revealed that tiredness wasn’t the shapeless fog I’d assumed. It has rhythm.

Where I was in my cycle was a clear starting point. My energy ebbed and flowed with it, while the daily dips were surprisingly predictable: I often felt a slump around noon, then another between 4 pm and 6 pm. Mornings between 8 and 10 a.m. were generally better; I’d often get a second wind around 1 pm, and sometimes again in the evening. Exercise threw up another surprise: on days when I felt too exhausted to move, a workout could leave me feeling as though someone had plugged me back in.

My Oura score was less straightforward. I’d become so invested in its nightly verdict that a poor score could have me writing off the day before it began. More REM sleep also seemed to coincide with better energy, even after fewer hours overall—an interesting pattern, though hardly proof that one sleep stage held the key.

To make sense of it all, I spoke to GP Dr Jessica Little, who explained that she would first look at three things: “the pattern of fatigue, the duration of fatigue, and the impact it is having on everyday life”. ​

My cycle, it seemed, offered a useful clue. Little says, "A predictable dip linked to poor sleep, stress, or the days before a period can be reassuring. If tiredness follows a familiar menstrual pattern but you otherwise feel well and can carry on as usual, that may represent your individual normal.”

I’m assured that understanding our baseline matters more than running to any “fix”. “A noticeable change from this—struggling with work, exercise or socialising when you previously managed comfortably - is more concerning”, explains Little—particularly if someone who previously managed work, exercise and socialising comfortably is now struggling to get through an ordinary day. "Fatigue that persists for several weeks without explanation, worsens, doesn’t improve with adequate rest or starts affecting everyday life warrants investigation. The same goes for fatigue accompanied by symptoms such as breathlessness, palpitations, unexplained weight loss or heavy menstrual bleeding."

My cycle explained a familiar dip, but not necessarily everything. To stop reflexively reaching for another hack, I first needed to understand what was driving my tiredness in the first place.

Sleep Debt, Stress or Something Else? How to Work Out What’s Behind Your Fatigue

According to my Oura ring, I’m accumulating sleep debt. But what does that actually look like beyond a less-than-glowing sleep score? My stress levels? Also seemingly endless. With sleep deprivation, stress and the general admin of being a functioning adult all competing for the blame, how can I work out which is contributing the most?

Sleep scientist Sophie Bostock explains that the effects of sleep loss can show up in surprisingly everyday ways: “We become more easily distracted, our reactions slow down, and everyday tasks require more effort. Sleep loss can also make us more emotionally reactive and less motivated.” So, with my energy diary full of afternoons when concentrating feels like wading through treacle, my first port of call before heading for my usual oat flat white or magnesium supplement is to check whether I'm getting enough sleep to begin with.

Bostock also points out, “we can become so accustomed to functioning below our best that we forget what feeling properly rested is like” - a rather uncomfortable home truth. “One of the warning signs,” she continues, “is when tiredness starts to feel normal.”

To work out whether sleep debt might be contributing to my fatigue, her advice is refreshingly unglamorous: try going to bed ten to fifteen minutes earlier a week, and see whether my mood, concentration or energy improves. If I have the opportunity, allowing myself the gift of sleeping without an alarm could offer further clues. Am I naturally sleeping longer? Does my energy improve after a few days?

But what if being tired isn’t the problem—but how we feel about it?

Psychotherapist for female leaders, Katie Williams, has an explanation for my need to fix my fatigue. A caveat: I think a few of us are about to feel very seen. She suggested the rather alien concept: what if it’s not the tiredness we can’t stand, but what we’ve come to believe it says about us? “Most of us are carrying far more than we can handle, and have been doing so for years,” she says. “ For high-achieving women, productivity can become so tangled up with self-worth that when our bodies can’t keep up, it feels like a threat.”

I’d say we all know this feeling far too well. It’s not just that I’m feeling exhausted; it’s that I’m exhausted and not getting everything done. I’m falling behind. I’m not keeping up. And apparently, another thing I need to control.

Research from 2012 backs this up. A longitudinal study of 2,121 working adults found that performance-based self-esteem was a strong predictor of burnout over time, with a stronger association among women than men. It begs the question: are we tired, or do we feel guilty about not doing more?.

“When we’re stressed and activated, we’ll look for solutions, something to ‘do’ or a way to fix the problem, rather than considering changing our way of being,” Williams says. Perhaps I’m not just trying to get my energy back. I’m trying to get back to being the version of myself I think I ought to be—minus the fatigue.

Beyond the Quick Fix: What Helped When I Stopped Trying to Outrun My Tiredness

Without my classic “fixes”, I turned to nutritionist Hannah Alderson and GP Dr Ravina Bhanot to ask what going back to basics looks like. No, we’re not talking about another self-improvement project, but a toolkit for tuning in to what my body needs, what’s genuinely helping, and when to simply leave my tiredness alone.

1. Get Curious Before Reaching for a Fix

“When does your energy dip? Are you dragging yourself through the morning on coffee alone, hitting a wall mid-afternoon or feeling inexplicably exhausted in the days before your period? Do you feel better after eating, moving or resting?”

Alderson suggests looking for clues in the rhythm of your day. Skipping meals, under-eating, or relying on caffeine to compensate for poor sleep can all contribute to feeling depleted. “The point isn’t to diagnose yourself from an energy diary, but to spot patterns before automatically reaching for another supplement.”

2. Eat Enough Before Adding More

Wellness culture loves a new superfood, but Alerson’s advice is disarmingly simple: “start by checking you’re eating enough.” Build meals around protein, fibre, healthy fats and carbohydrates (remember: carbs are not the enemy), rather than obsessing over one macronutrient or cutting out entire food groups.

3. Don’t Expect Electrolytes to Rescue a Bad Night’s Sleep

Maybe a “fix” I relied on a little too much. “Using electrolytes to fix your tiredness is another example of wellness culture turning something physiologically important into something we supposedly all need more of, " says Alderson.

She notes these are essentials for fluid balance and muscle and nerve function; however, “most people eating a varied diet and drinking enough will get what they need. They’re useful when you’ve lost significant fluid and salts through prolonged sweating, vomiting or diarrhoea—not as an automatic upgrade to your water bottle.”

4. Give Your Body the Cues It Needs

A personal favourite, and one I’ve been really leaning into this month, is a warm shower or bath before bed. Bhanot suggests that this simple ritual, ideally one to two hours before bedtime, may help us fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality. And there’s evidence to back her up: a 2019 review found that passive warming before bed was associated with faster sleep onset and better self-rated sleep quality.

A win-win situation if you ask me.

5. Stop Treating Every Dip in Energy as a Problem to Solve

Maybe the bigger lesson for me. The basics—eating enough, drinking water, getting the rest you need—matter. But the point isn’t to turn them into six more rules to follow perfectly.

It’s to pause when the familiar urge to fix kicks in and ask a different question: what might I actually need right now? Food? Water? A break? An early night? Or perhaps a change to the pace I'm expecting myself to maintain?

Hey, sometimes a practical adjustment helps. And sometimes tiredness is a signal that you’ve taken on too much. I went into this experiment wanting to, ironically, find the right “fix” for my tiredness in relinquishing control and ditching everything I held so dear in the fight to find something that alleviated my tiredness. But instead, I came out more confident in my ability to recognise when I was reaching for one of my “crutches” by default. Not every feeling needs optimising. So, without further ado, I’ve put down the quest for a quick fix and picked up a little curiosity instead.

Shop MC UK Anti-Fix Wellness Picks Here:

Over the past couple of years, the beauty world has seen a blusher boom, with bold shades trending and high-flush blush everywhere. The trend culminated in what social media dubbed ‘blush blindness’: people overloading cheeks with bright pinks and bold corals in almost clown-like fashion. As a result, a new movement, the anti-blusher trend, is emerging.

We asked some of Marie Claire’s favourite makeup artists to explain the trend, its long-term appeal, and the anti-blush buys to shop now.

What is the ‘Anti-Blush’ Trend, Exactly?

Contrary to its name, anti-blush still actually involves blush. You didn’t really think it would be that easy, did you? “It isn’t about abandoning blush at all; it’s moving away from highly saturated shades, the obvious pinks and corals, and choosing colours that feel much closer to the natural tones within the skin,” says makeup artist Lisa Caldognetto. “The finish is so much more understated—so you’re not noticing this immediate pop of colour of blush that we’ve typically seen. It’s softly-defined, really healthy and pulled together. It’s almost a blush, bronzer and contour all merged into one.”

The term blew up when creator Kim Senser made a video calling MAC’s Skinfinish Coloustruck Blush in Film Noir Buff ‘the anti-blush’. She tells Marie Claire she describes the trend as “the opposite of what I had been seeing for blush. Instead of that bright pink, or reddish blush, it feels muted, neutral and naturally skin-like. I have always loved the ‘no-makeup’ look.”

Makeup artist Adeola Gboyega describes it as “sitting somewhere between blush and bronzer. You’re still bringing warmth and colour into the complexion, but it doesn’t necessarily look like an obvious, traditional blush.”

And there’s an important distinction, adds Gboyega: “Anti-blush doesn’t have to mean cool, taupe or completely neutral. It can definitely have warmth to it—think bronzed rose, terracotta, caramel, brick red, raisin or warm brown tones. It’s more about choosing colours that feel like they melt into the complexion, rather than sitting on top of the skin as a really obvious pop of pink or peach. It gives you that barely-there blush effect. You can see warmth and dimension in the face, but you might not immediately look at it and think, ‘she’s wearing blush’.”

Though a trending term now, this technique has been around for a long time, says Gboyega. “What I find really interesting about this trend, both as a makeup artist and as a Black woman, is that this way of using colour on the cheeks really isn’t new,” she says. “Women with deeper skin tones have been doing versions of this for years, we just didn’t have the anti-blush terminology attached to it.”

Often, women of colour often did not have the luxury of choice, explains Gboyega, as there weren’t as many blushers made with deeper complexions in mind. Black women therefore almost created their own versions of blush. “We would look beyond what was traditionally being marketed as blush and choose shades we knew would bring warmth, dimension and life back into our skin. Shades like MAC’s original Raizin blush became staples for Black women because they had enough depth and richness to actually show up beautifully on deeper skin tones, while giving that warm, almost bronzed flush that we’re now seeing described as anti-blush.”

How to Choose an Anti-Blush Shade

While some beauty trends are best left as TikTok filters, this particular look can be adapted to you, making it worth transferring from screen to real life. “Anti-blush isn’t one specific colour; it should look different depending on your complexion,” instructs Gboyega. “The key is choosing a shade with the right level of depth and warmth for your skin rather than just looking for something that’s labelled neutral.

“For pale to light complexions, I’d look at soft beige-pinks, muted rose, caramel and lighter terracotta tones, while for light-medium to medium skin tones, slightly richer caramel, warm rose, terracotta and bronzed shades work really well,” she recommends. “For medium-deep to deep complexions, you want enough richness and pigment so the colour doesn’t disappear into the skin. This is where burnt rose, deeper terracotta, raisin, chocolate and red-brown shades really come into their own.”

The main thing to remember is not to overthink it. Don’t “get too caught up in finding a product specifically marketed as an anti-blush,” advises Gboyega. “Look at how the shade actually behaves on your complexion. It could be caramel, terracotta, bronzed rose, raisin, warm brown or muted red. You’re looking for something that brings warmth and colour into the face without reading as an obvious traditional blush.”

Convinced? These anti-blush shades come highly recommended by our pros.

The Best Products for an Anti-Blush Look

Scroll through wellness TikTok long enough, and you’ll find a new promise: fix your energy, curb your cravings and boost your mood in just three days. You only need to search #hormonereset to see there’s no shortage of day-by-day plans, along with real-life testimonies of women claiming they feel like a completely different person by day three.

It's not hard to understand the appeal of a three-day hormone reset. Instead of completely overhauling your life, you commit to 72 hours of ‘clean eating’, early nights and a few supplements, and your hormones supposedly fall back in line. And for women in perimenopause or menopause who are often dealing with symptoms that can easily be dismissed, a quick fix can feel especially tempting.

I’ll admit it’s something I’m more intrigued by, particularly after turning 40 this year and knowing that stage of life is slowly creeping up on me. But can you really fix your hormones in just three days? With October marking Menopause Awareness Month—a time when women are looking for answers about their hormones—I wanted to know how much can change in our bodies in 72 hours, and how much of the hype actually holds up?

The research is a good starting point. Take this 2026 systematic review of almost 2,000 women experiencing menopausal-related symptoms, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It found some evidence that dietary changes may improve certain symptoms. But the researchers said more high-quality evidence was needed, and crucially, they weren't ‘three-day hormone resets.’

So, what do the experts say? I spoke to three leading women’s health professionals to find out whether there’s any such thing as a quick fix for hormone health. Keep scrolling for your guide, and while you're here, don't miss our explainers on the everyday habits that can be impacting your hormones, how to balance your hormones and the best foods for hormone health.

As 3-Day Hormone “Resets” Trend—What Our Hormones Actually Do In 72 Hours

What is a 3 day hormone reset?

While there’s no official definition, the plan tends to follow a pattern. “These diets and resets typically promise things like blood sugar stabilisation, reduced inflammation and improved insulin sensitivity to ‘reverse’ hormone resistance and reset metabolism,” explains Bethany Francois, a specialist eating disorder dietitian.

Typically, this includes cutting out foods, such as refined sugar, alcohol, gluten and dairy, as well as prioritising high fibre, healthy fats and lean proteins and reducing snacking to promote a longer overnight fasting window. Francois says that they can also encourage supplements or herbal products like magnesium or ashwagandha.

While most of this probably sounds sensible enough, Francois warns there isn’t good evidence that any of these behaviours can reset or rebalance your hormones. “Cutting out gluten and dairy without evidence of an allergy or intolerance isn’t going to improve someone's health.”

Chartered clinical psychologist Dr Tracy King explains why the idea of a three-day hormone reset is so appealing. “Instead of thinking, “I need to change my whole life and sort myself out,” a three-day reset gives us a boundary,” she says. “Doing something different for three days feels possible and gives us a sense of self-efficacy (the feeling that our actions can change how we feel), which reduces helplessness and naturally improves mood.”

Can you actually reset your hormones in 72 hours?

In short, no. “The idea around needing to ‘reset’ your hormones is generally misleading, especially whether it can be done in such a short timeframe,” says women’s wellness issues expert Dr Shirin Lakhani.

Hormones naturally fluctuate throughout the day, as well as across the menstrual cycle and during perimenopause and menopause. “It’s very important to note that hormones aren’t something you need to ‘fix’,” says Dr Lakhani. “The aim should be to understand and manage symptoms where they are affecting quality of life, rather than trying to force the body back to an earlier hormonal state.”

And Francois agrees. “Your body is constantly checking and regulating your hormone levels, so it’s not something that needs periodically resetting,” she adds. “Blood sugar is another popular target, but rises in glucose and insulin are normal and necessary. Companies know that menopausal women are a vulnerable group—but implying that they all need to be worried about possible insulin resistance and their blood sugar levels is really damaging,” she says.

And while diet can influence hormones, the evidence isn’t exactly suggesting a quick fix. One 2025 trial of 234 postmenopausal women found that a mainly plant-based dietary intervention was associated with lower levels of estradiol and free estradiol—but the intervention lasted 24 months, not 72 hours. The study doesn’t tell us how quickly these changes occurred, but it certainly isn’t enough to provide evidence for a three-day hormone reset.

That doesn’t mean you can’t feel differently after three days, though. “What you eat over a 3-day period can absolutely change how you feel,” adds Francois. Bloating, for example, can be affected by short-term factors including fibre, stress, salt, fluid intake and portion size.

And it’s worth bearing in mind Dr King’s point that how we feel can change much faster than our underlying hormonal system. “If we have poor sleep, stress, irritability, or are more tearful or anxious, a structured three-day plan can really help improve some of these things.”

Put simply, a three-day reset might change how you feel, but that doesn’t mean it has reset your hormones.

What can you realistically do to support your hormones in three days?

Rather than trying to completely reset anything, experts suggest focusing on behaviours that can make you feel better. “I’d move completely away from the idea of needing to reset anything,” says Francois.

Instead, start with these four areas.

1. Eat regular, balanced meals

There’s a lot of advice about what we should and shouldn’t eat when it comes to supporting hormone health, and it can quickly become overwhelming. Francois’ advice is refreshingly simple: eat regular, balanced meals.

“I’d focus on eating regular meals that include a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats,” she says. She recommends eating a variety of fruit and vegetables, plus getting fibre from foods such as beans, pulses and wholegrains.

Going too long without eating can also make cravings harder to manage. “Cravings for food that provide quick sources of glucose tend to increase the hungrier we are,” says Francois. She suggests snacks combining different food groups, such as carbohydrates with protein or healthy fats.

2. Get outside every day

We know movement can support mood and energy, and Dr King has a particularly simple suggestion: get outside every day for a short walk early in the day, ideally around the same time each morning.

“A short walk outdoors early in the day combines several things our brains respond well to: daylight, movement, routine and a clear signal that the day has begun by the regulation of melatonin, which impacts our sleep-wake rhythm.”

It might not sound like a revolutionary hormone hack, but that’s the point. According to Dr King, our nervous system responds well to predictability, so a simple routine can be more useful than constantly searching for the next wellness fix.

3. Prioritise sleep

If you’re not always prioritising sleep (guilty), you’ll know only too well the impact a rough night can have on your energy and mood. And while one good night’s sleep won’t magically rebalance your hormones, it can help you feel better surprisingly quickly.

“You can definitely implement strategies that can make you feel better within three days, such as making changes to sleep,” says Dr Lakhani.

Francois also points to sleep alongside regular movement and social connection as important lifestyle factors when it comes to energy and mood.

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“Hair is everything,” declared Fleabag’s Claire after emerging from the salon with an asymmetric crop that made her resemble a pencil. And she had a point. Hair is inextricably linked to how we look and feel, with the power to bolster our confidence or undermine it entirely. There’s a reason the proverbial “bad hair day” has become shorthand for a day when nothing seems to go quite right. A bad hair day is no longer simply a case of unruly strands or an uncooperative style. Now, our standards are higher and we're scrutinising everything from texture and condition to split ends and that all-important density.

Our algorithms have picked up on this. According to Healio, a study of 156 hair loss videos across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram searched in December 2025 alone found an average of 445,415 views per video. And in a UK Hair Confidence Report from this year, 46% of British women are too embarrassed to discuss hair shedding with their GP. We’re all thinking about it.

So, the big question: are we actually losing more hair than before? Is it a not-so-silent epidemic, coupled with the constant reels that find their way onto our feed? The way we talk about our health has changed, with an open discourse around GLP-1 usage, hormonal changes, menopause, stress and anxiety; a direct by-product of these conversations are the symptoms that emerge from this and how we try to sustain some kind of damage control there.

Are We Losing More Hair Than Ever?

Yes, and no. “There are several reasons women can experience hair thinning and shedding, but the growing use of GLP-1 medications is an emerging factor. I have seen hair loss in some people taking these medications, and there have also been many reports of it online. GLP-1 drugs themselves aren't thought to directly cause hair loss; rather, rapid weight loss can put the body under stress and nutritional deficiencies can also play a role. As their use becomes more widespread, I expect we will see more discussion around hair shedding in this context.” Says Anabel Kingsley, Lead Trichologist and Author of Haircare: The Ultimate Guide.

But not everyone is taking a GLP-1 drug, and online searches for hair growth drugs and scalp treatments are surging, suggesting growing interest in hair health. According to a report from GrandView research, the global hair loss treatment market is projected to be worth $93.9 billion this year. And according to the National Council on Aging, global hair loss treatments are said to be worth £4.8 billion in the UK by 2034. Meanwhile, the beauty market's hair health sector has grown by 32%, according to a study from Cosmetic Business.

This may have once been a concern that began with women who were hitting perimenopause or experiencing broader health issues; hair thinning is now among the top concerns for those in their 20s as well. Clinical data at the Belgravia Centre (a private treatment facility that specialises in hair loss treatment) has seen an exponential rise in hair loss awareness and early-stage thinning, with the demographic growing within the 21- 30-year-old age group.

Lifestyle and health factors have a major impact on the rate of hair loss: post-partum hair loss, stress and burnout, bad nutrition, and multiple conditions like Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), diabetes and thyroid issues.

The boom in the category may also reflect shifting attitudes across the beauty sector, away from quick fixes and toward prevention. “There’s a lot more research going into understanding the biology of the hair and scalp…moving towards a much more preventative approach to haircare, looking after the scalp and the hair we have, rather than only reacting once we notice significant thinning.” Says trichologist Rachel Valentine.

What is 'Normal' Hair Loss

With more of us aware of hair density than ever, awareness is up, leaving many to wonder whether any level of hair loss is normal. “It’s important to distinguish between hair thinning and excessive hair shedding, as they are not necessarily the same thing," explains Kingsley. "A healthy amount of hair shedding is usually around 100 to 150 hairs per day. This happens because about 10% of your hair is normally in a resting or shedding phase at any given time, while the rest is actively growing."

Simple lifestyle changes like keeping ponytails loose rather than tight and close to the scalp, caring for your scalp, and stepping away from over-styling can make a huge difference to how much hair you lose. Washing too frequently is another no-no, and being gentle when brushing goes a long way. Tangle Teezer is still a favourite among hair stylists and trichologists for its malleable, bendy bristles.

What Can You Do to Increase Hair Density?

Medications like Minoxidil (the active ingredient in Regaine) and Finasteride can increase hair density, though long-term use can cause side effects. Plus, the beauty industry is moving toward a more holistic approach.

Brands like K18 and the recently launched Cécred are leading the way with a 360-degree approach to hair longevity, rather than simply enhancing hair growth. “Medical doctors, particularly dermatologists, often recommend products containing ingredients like minoxidil or finasteride for hair growth. These treatments are backed by clinical research and work by stimulating the hair follicles and slowing hair loss,” says Dr Kari Williams, Trichologist and Director of Education at Cécred.

Hero products from Cécred include formulas to strengthen and nourish hair growth. “The Restoring Hair & Edge Drops contain Biopeptide-5 technology, a blend of 5 growth factor peptides that nourish and strengthen hair...” adds Williams.

Meanwhile, K18’s now-cult product, Future IQ Longevity Serum ran clinical studies with subjects applying the product daily over a 3-month period who found that there were considerably fewer greys and up to 19000 hairs retained for more volume. Both K18 and Cécred use peptides to boost growth by mimicking the body’s natural ability to produce hair follicles and maintain healthy scalp health.

The Pillars of Good Hair Care

The four major pillars of good hair care are: scalp health, the condition of the hair, nutrition and general health. “Your scalp is skin and part of the body’s largest organ, so regular cleansing is important for maintaining a healthy scalp environment.” Says Kingsley.

When it comes to nutrition, a well-balanced diet should be the primary source but there are supplements that can help too. “A good example is biotin. Biotin is an essential nutrient and is involved in normal hair health, but genuine biotin deficiency is relatively uncommon in people eating a varied diet. So, taking a biotin supplement isn’t automatically going to make your hair grow more, particularly if you’re already getting enough through your diet. I think we need to move away from the idea that there’s one miracle solution or one product that’s going to solve everyone’s hair concerns. “adds Rachel Valentine.

When it comes to general health, “Stress can have a significant impact on the hair growth cycle, so good sleep, regular exercise and finding ways to manage stress are all important” says Kingsley.

Finally, good hair condition means reducing heat styling, using conditioning treatments, using bond-restorative oils if needed, and using damage-protecting sprays.

So maybe hair loss isn't on the rise, but just as skincare and makeup are shifting toward a more preventative, longevity-focused approach, the scalp and hair-growth market is, too.

The Products to Invest In

Few things breed impatience quite like watching a movie trailer for a film releasing in three months’ time, a holiday booked a year in advance, or runway trends and styling tricks set to hit the stores next season. I have a solution to the latter, though: simply wear the trends you love now. I’m not talking about whipping out thigh-high skirts and sandals in the middle of October (although it is unseasonably warm). But I do encourage you to cherry-pick the pieces that can actually work year-round—and there are many to be found across the Spring/Summer 27 runways.

The plethora of trench coats spied at Gabriela Hearst, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermès and more are possibly the most obvious Spring/Summer 27 runway sighting suited to autumn. Shortly followed by double-layered knitwear—yes, cardigans over jumpers, or even just contrasting neck knits, to be that bit cosier. Plus, Prada has confirmed it’s the year, not just the season, of the office-friendly skirt (extra points for pleats, to add a touch of prep.)

And where would we be in the colder months without a scarf? A statement silk or fine wool style is the way to go if you believe Miu Miu and Saint Laurent, and we definitely do.

As the seasons stretch ever longer and the prescribed rules of fashion only seem to keep fading, I encourage you to keep ripping up the fashion rulebook. If you love something, wear it without waiting. For now, we’ve got six styling tips and trends to get you started.

6 Spring/Summer 27 Trends to Wear Now

Satin Shoes

Granted, leather may feel like the more practical pick for shoes, but for those who dare to walk a little on the wild side (pun fully intended), it’s time to start considering satin. Personally, I’d go bold with the colour choice, per Prada, but the fabric adds extra dimension to classic black.

Lilac Hues

If purple was the key colour on the Autumn/Winter 26 runways, lilac is the shade for Spring/Summer 27, and, as a plus-point, the two pair perfectly together. Indeed, looking to the runways of Bottega Veneta, Erdem and Conner Ives, you might be surprised to see just how versatile the colour can be. Beige, green, red and green all feel expertly matched.

Layered Knits

Some styling tips feel intrinsically better suited to autumn than the do summer. Case in point: the layered knit look—and it’s happily foolproof to recreate. Simply take one jumper you love, layer a cardigan, deep V-neck jumper, or chunky snood over the top, and your cosy yet striking outfit is complete.

Office-Friendly Skirts

We’ve heard the term corpcore (aka corporate-core) bandied around for many seasons now, but Spring/Summer 27 has seen the office-friendly trend go full-force. The hero piece? Work-ready skirts, heavily endorsed by Miuccia Prada. Blazers, shirts, knitted vests and roll-necks are all for the taking.

Trench Coats

There is only a small handful of items I’d personally consider a must: a great pair of jeans, a go-to pair of ankle boots, a soft knit and a trench coat. Luckily, designers from Litkovska, Akris and household names Valentino, Chloé, Hermès all agree, sending them down the Spring/Summer 27 runways in delightfully designed droves.

Statement Scarves

Yes, scarves for autumn/winter are a bit of a no-brainer, but with temperatures milder than we are used to, the question is: how to evoke that wintry fashion feel without overheating? Lightweight statement scarves. Whether you prefer boldly patterned silk, striking shades of thin-knit wool, or Tory Burch’s boa, the Spring/Summer 27 runways were awash with options.

Growing up in the late Nineties and Noughties, the party line was that women could—and should—have it all. This was the era of girl power, Sex and the City, and glossy magazine covers promising us we could ‘smash the glass ceiling’ and have rich personal lives. No wonder my generation grew into twenty-somethings who swallowed the girlboss culture that followed.

From a young age, it was impressed upon us that the hard-won rights our predecessors had fought for were there to be exercised. We were encouraged to enjoy the fruits of their labour, so to speak, but there was also an expectation that we should make the most of the opportunities they’d secured.

Enter: a generation of women who believed not only in meritocracy, but that getting promoted was the obvious goal. You worked hard, proved yourself, impressed the right people and, eventually, somebody handed you a bigger title, a better salary and a team of people to manage. Congratulations. You’d made it.

At 36, Abi Hill had the senior management title she’d spent years working towards. She also had a nine-month-old baby and a working day that routinely ran from 8am to 8pm. Her career was going well, but she was beginning to question what she’d been working towards. So she left.

Three years later, Hill runs Just Starting Out, a platform supporting early-stage business owners. “I didn’t leave because I lacked ambition,” she tells me. “I left because I’d started to question whether the version of ambition I’d spent years working towards was actually what I wanted.”

According to a 2026 survey by recruitment firm Robert Walters, Hill is not alone. ,In fact, 54% of female professionals surveyed across the UK and Ireland said they were less motivated to seek promotion than they had been two years earlier.

This isn’t to suggest that the quest for career equality is over. Women are still underrepresented in senior leadership and the gender pay gap persists, with the prospect of equal pay remaining maddeningly distant — according to the most recent stats, I’ll be retired by the time we reach gender pay parity (I’m 36).

But another conversation is bubbling away alongside those battles. For a generation raised on the premise that women could (and again, should) climb as high as men, it’s a complicated one. Having spent our formative years being encouraged to reach relentlessly for the next rung, some of us are looking at what that entails and wondering whether it’s worth the climb.

When Did Being the Boss Become Being… Everything?

Part of the problem is that management has changed. Beyond overseeing performance, managers are now expected to navigate employee wellbeing, hybrid working, organisational change and the impact of AI, often without the training or support required to do any of it very well.

“Managers are no longer simply managing people and performance; they’re being asked to absorb uncertainty, protect culture, support wellbeing, navigate constant technological change and keep everyone motivated through it — all while delivering increasingly ambitious commercial results,” explains Hermione Olivia, founder of CEO YOURSELF, who left a CEO role she’d spent years chasing.

While these demands aren’t exclusive to female managers, women face additional expectations, many unrelated to the work they’re actually employed to do.

“Women are often expected to perform an additional layer of invisible leadership,” Olivia points out. “They are more likely to be the person noticing who is struggling, remembering what is happening in people’s lives, mediating tension and protecting the emotional atmosphere of a team. This work can be enormously valuable, but it is rarely recognised in a job description, performance review or salary negotiation.”

Tamu Thomas, who works with women on leadership and ambition, has seen this play out with women in senior positions being expected to take meeting notes or clear away cups, even when their male counterparts aren’t. These small requests can be particularly pernicious. Object, and you risk being labelled ‘sensitive’ or ‘not a team player’. Say nothing, and you reinforce the assumption that making life easier for everyone else is simply part of your job.

There’s another balancing act in management. Female leaders are expected to be approachable and emotionally intuitive, but too much warmth can undermine their authority. Set a firm boundary, meanwhile, and they risk being seen as difficult or cold.

As Olivia puts it: “Empathy is a leadership strength, but it should not become an expectation that women will absorb the emotional needs of an organisation. Pastoral leadership is real work, and it needs to be recognised, supported and shared.”

It’s easy to see how a promotion can start looking less like an opportunity and more like a list of demands. Perhaps the question isn’t whether women have become less interested in leadership, but whether leadership has become a job that asks too much and gives too little back.

The Mid-Career Calculation

Until this summer, Natalie Trice, 52, had a plan. After 30 years working in PR, and with her sons now at college and university, she was going to build an agency, recruit a team and establish herself as a leading name in her industry. Then she spent much of the summer recovering from pneumonia and reconsidered the whole thing.

“I realised I was chasing [a] dream that I actually woke up from years ago,” she tells me. “This really was a hangover from my TV career days, and I was still trying to prove myself – and half killing myself by doing so.”

Trice changed her website to focus on herself, stopped accepting CVs and abandoned the agency-building plans. She wanted to finish her novel, spend more time swimming outdoors and, as she put it, didn’t like people enough to manage them.

B. Hersch, now 44, hit a similar crossroads. In her late thirties, she was working at Google with clear next steps: a bigger position, a bigger team, more responsibility. At home, she had two children under three.

“I think women in their mid-30s and 40s are often given a false choice: climb harder or scale back. There is a third option, which is to get much more precise about what you’re exceptionally good at and build from there.”

Hersch eventually left Google without another job lined up and established Better Futures, an executive communications consultancy. She realised the skills she’d developed throughout her career could be valuable outside the hierarchy she’d spent years navigating.

The mid-career stocktake is a recurring theme. It makes sense. Earlier in a career, a bigger title might represent possibility. Later, when you’ve seen how an organisation works and watched senior colleagues manage competing demands, the trade-offs become harder to ignore. Plus, you’ve taken on enough challenges and responsibilities to know what suits you and what doesn’t. “The ambition of a 49-year-old doesn’t have to look like her ambition at 29,” explains Tamu Thomas.

Of course, there’s a luxury in being able to walk away from a salaried job or abandon plans to expand a business, and it isn’t available to all of us. Equally, running your own company doesn’t automatically – or indeed often – mean more free time.

What’s interesting, though, is how little room there is for reconsideration in the way we talk about career progression. We talk about climbing, moving up, reaching the top. For women who want to stay in their jobs rather than strike out on their own, that presents a difficult problem.

The Missing Rung

So, what if you enjoy your work, want to earn more money, have greater influence and continue developing your expertise, but have no interest in managing people?

If you’re no longer a junior, but don’t want to be the boss, where exactly are you supposed to go?

Clinical psychologist and executive coach Anne Welsh argues that we’re so accustomed to equating career advancement with people management that we treat them as synonyms. She suggests thinking about ambition as a web rather than a ladder, with progression taking different forms: greater autonomy, deeper expertise, creative freedom or increased influence.

She points to a client working in technology who has advanced as a senior individual contributor, earning well and being promoted without taking on direct reports. It’s a route that makes sense, yet it remains elusive in organisations that measure seniority by the number of people someone manages, meaning that choosing not to pursue leadership can mean accepting a ceiling on your earnings and influence.

What If You Want to Get Ahead, But Don’t Want to Be the Boss?

For women, there’s another complication: we’re still fighting for equal access to the senior positions that do exist.

The 2026 Women in Work Gender Equity Measure report found that women accounted for 49% of manager-level talent among the employers analysed, yet received 40% of promotions into senior leadership. Charlotte Davies, LinkedIn’s career expert, points to the disproportionate impact of caring responsibilities on women’s career progression.

On the one hand, there are women fighting to get into positions of power. On the other, there are women looking at those same positions and wondering whether they want them at all. If the only way to progress is to take on a team, where does that leave everyone who’d rather not?

For a generation raised on the promise that we could be anything we wanted, it’s a frustratingly limited set of options.

“I still wanted to grow; I just realised there was a difference between wanting to grow and wanting to give more,” says Justine Sterling Converse, founder and CEO of Brigade Events.

That doesn’t mean managing people is inherently undesirable. Good managers can transform careers, create opportunities and make work immeasurably better. Plenty of women still want those roles, and they should have every opportunity to get them.

But it’s worth questioning why we’re so attached to the idea that anyone who’s good at their job should eventually aspire to managing everybody else doing it.

Allison Howell, CEO of Hogan Assessments, argues that employers need to rethink how they recognise and reward talent, rather than encouraging women to put themselves forward for promotion. That could mean creating senior roles for specialists, making promotion criteria more transparent or giving managers the training and support they need to do their jobs without sacrificing the rest of their lives.

For years, we’ve been told to lean in, speak up, ask for more and refuse to settle. Those messages emerged for good reason, in workplaces where women were regularly overlooked and underestimated. There’s still plenty of work to be done on that front.

But we might’ve reached a point where we can ask what, exactly, we’re being encouraged to lean into. Having the opportunity to be the boss and being expected to want it are two different things. And, after all those years of being told we could be anything we wanted, wouldn’t it be nice if that included not wanting to be the boss, too?

A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every nine minutes, and a man is diagnosed every day, according to the UK's leading breast cancer charity, Breast Cancer Now. Every October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an initiative designed to raise awareness of this, the most common cancer in the UK.

The chances are we all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer in some form or another, and most of us know that we should be checking our breasts on a regular basis for changes and irregularities that aren't normal for us. But many people are still only checking for obvious signs (a lump), and potentially overlooking other, more insidiously hidden symptoms.

So, this October, MC UK is on a mission to re-educate us all on the lesser-known signs of breast cancer, and how to check yourself properly. Because we know that early detection can, quite literally, be a matter of life and death. According to further research from Breast Cancer Now, in cases of breast cancer that are detected early (stage 1), 98% of people survive for five years or more.

With this firmly in mind, we've spoken to leading oncologists and cancer specialists about the symptoms we should all be aware of - keep scrolling for all the information you might need this month, and beyond, plus their advice on what to do if you do notice something out of the ordinary.

While you're here, do check out our excellent women's health content (if we do say so ourselves) on everything from the key breast cancer signs and symptoms, the truth about the biological clock, elite sportswomen speaking up about endometriosis and boring habits for PMOS right through to the top micro-habits for hormonal health, here.

I'm an Oncologist: 5 Breast Cancer Symptoms Women Still Miss

What are the most common signs and symptoms of breast cancer?

When we think about breast cancer signs and symptoms, it's highly likely most of us think about finding a lump. And it's a fact that in over 80% of cases, a lump is the first sign that there's anything suspicious going on.

But it's not just the breasts we should be checking for lumps. In fact, charity CoppaFeel uses the words 'breast' and 'chest' interchangeably to refer to the whole area from ribs to collarbone, including the armpits.

"Breast cancer can have many symptoms, though in some cases you may not feel or see anything at all," shares Dr Saleem Azeem, Clinical Oncologist and Trustee at Breast Cancer UK. "The most common symptoms are a lump in the breast or armpit, which can be painless. While most lumps are under the skin, meaning you need to apply some pressure to feel them, sometimes they can also be found on the surface of the breast or chest or on the skin leading up to the armpit. These look more like a bump or spot that can also feel hard to the touch."

It's important to note here that if you do find a lump, try not to panic.

"Most breast changes, including lumps, won’t be cancer," reassures Catherine Priestley, senior clinical nurse specialist on secondary breast cancer at Breast Cancer Now. "That being said, it’s important to get any new or unusual changes checked by your GP."

What are the other symptoms of breast cancer?

While 83% of breast cancers first present with a lump, not all breast cancers present this way. The experts caution that some of the more subtle warning signs are easily overlooked, with around one in six women reporting symptoms other than a lump.

Other common symptoms include:

• A change to the skin, such as puckering or dimpling;
• A change in the colour of the breast - it may look darker, red or inflamed;
• A nipple change, for example, it has become pulled in (inverted);
• Rash or crusting around the nipple;
• Unusual liquid (discharge) from either nipple;
• Changes in size or shape of the breast.

And most importantly, many breast cancers have absolutely no symptoms at all. "About a third of breast cancers in England are only identified through the NHS Breast Screening Programme," notes Dr Lucy Hooper, private GP and co-founder of Coyne Medical. "This is why screening is such an important part of early breast cancer detection."

What signs of breast cancer are women still missing?

"Around one in six people with symptoms of breast cancer present with symptoms other than a lump," notes Dr Hooper. "We know that people often delay seeking medical attention for these symptoms, and that delay might be important."

So, in addition to the above, what are women commonly still overlooking when it comes to breast checks?

1. Painless lumps

"It’s really important to be clear about breast pain," shares Dr Coyne. "Most breast cancers are painless, so people shouldn’t be falsely reassured if a lump doesn’t hurt. A painless lump doesn’t mean it can be ignored."

2. Skin changes

"Skin changes such as dimpling and puckering must never be ignored," urges specialist breast surgeon at Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital, Mr Philip Turton. "If you glance at your breast in the mirror and see subtle indrawing, particularly when raising your arm, never ignore this even if you feel nothing. Similarly, subtle thickening or an area that appears tethered deeply across the boundary of the breast, just as the crease line can easily be overlooked but is an important sign."

3. Nipple changes

"Spontaneous nipple discharge, particularly if it is bloodstained or comes from one breast, should also always be checked," continues Mr Turton. "Persistent redness, scaling or eczema-like changes affecting the nipple can occasionally indicate an underlying cancer, with no lump; we call this Paget's disease of the nipple, which is cancer starting in the tiny terminal ducts within the nipple itself."

4. Inflammed breasts

"Inflammatory breast cancer is another particular type of breast cancer that people should be aware of because, rather than causing a specific lump, it often causes the whole breast to become swollen, warm, red or painful," advises Dr Hooper. "These kinds of symptoms can easily be mistaken for mastitis. Many people might initially be treated for this, but if their symptoms are not getting better, they should have further checks on the breast."

5. Dense breasts

Dense breasts are not a sign of breast cancer, but it's absolutely worth knowing if you have them, Dr Hooper advises.

"Breast density is a topic that really deserves more attention," she tells MC UK. "In the UK, it isn’t routinely reported as part of NHS breast screening, despite women in other countries, such as the United States and France, being routinely informed about their breast density on mammograms.

"It’s really important because breast density is something you can only see on a mammogram. You can’t check or feel it yourself, and women with extremely dense breasts not only have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, but mammograms can also miss about one in two cancers in this group.

"This is because dense breast tissue appears white on a mammogram, which is the same appearance as most breast cancers. Women who are having private screening, especially, should know about their breast density and be informed about whether supplemental imaging, such as ultrasound or MRI, could improve early detection of breast cancer for them."

How to be breast aware

It's clear that early detection is vital, and for this, the experts are unequivocal that we all need to be 'breast aware'. This means becoming familiar with what is normal for you and your breasts, whether they're natural or enhanced.

“I encourage women to become familiar with the normal appearance and feel of their breasts rather than relying on a rigid examination technique," advises Mr Turton. "Look at your breasts in the mirror, both with your arms relaxed and raised, paying attention to any new asymmetry, indrawing, skin changes or alterations in nipple position (retraction).

"When feeling your breasts, use the flat pads of your fingers to examine the whole breast and surrounding area, including towards the armpit. This can be done in the shower, but my preference is for women to do it lying down as they will feel the breast tissue better."

Don't forget, though, that fluctuations in lumpiness, size and sensation are totally normal within the menstrual cycle, so it's good to get to know how you feel at different times of the month, too.

"The most important thing is recognising what is normal for you and noticing when something changes," continues Mr Turton. "Breasts naturally vary in texture, and hormonal fluctuations can make them feel different at different times of the month.”

Ideally, you should conduct a thorough check at least once a month, around a week after your period. The experts recommend a four-weekly check even if you don't have periods due to, for example, the coil or other contraception. But don't become so concerned that you're checking every day.

"There is no need to examine your breasts obsessively or worry about performing a perfect technique," reassures Mr Turton. "Breast awareness is about recognising changes, not searching for abnormalities every day.”

What to do if you're concerned about breast changes

You've found a lump or one of the other symptoms discussed above, and you're fearing the worst. It can be difficult to think clearly when this happens, but it's important to try not to panic. We are incredibly fortunate in the UK that the breast cancer pathway is straightforward and, most importantly, fast.

“The first step is to arrange an appointment with your GP, who will assess the symptoms and examine the breasts," shares Mr Turton. "A GP will usually refer the patient to a specialist breast clinic under the two-week referral system, giving rapid access.

"In the UK, women with any symptoms with any possible suspicion for breast cancer are generally referred through this urgent suspected cancer pathway."

Make sure you tell a friend or family member, as you'll want someone to go to the appointment with you - and stay calm.

"At the breast clinic, assessment usually involves what we call triple assessment: a specialist clinical examination, appropriate breast imaging using ultrasound and/or mammography, and a needle biopsy if an abnormality requires tissue sampling," Mr Turton goes on. "These investigations often allow us to establish a diagnosis quickly.

"It is important to reassure women that the majority of breast symptoms turn out to be benign. However, early assessment is essential because identifying breast cancer at an earlier stage can significantly improve treatment options and outcomes.”

Anyone seeking information and support can speak to Breast Cancer Now’s expert nurses by calling their free, confidential helpline on 0808 800 6000, or via their online forum or email service.

Shop MC UK's wellbeing edit now:

Hands up if your wardrobe took a hit when Matches Fashion closed its doors. Keep that hand up if your workwear has felt all the flatter since the in-house brand Raey closed alongside it. If you're sitting with ten fingers in the air, we have good news: Raey intriguingly has "relaunching 2026" in its Instagram bio—meaning the office-friendly label should be back up and running any week now. Watch this space.

Though Raey is, of course, far from the only label the best-dressed women in any office are reaching for—the brands below deliver equally polished-with-an-edge workwear and are the foundation of every stylish woman's working wardrobe.

With Nothing Underneath remains a shirting favourite among the chicest women we know, with an ever-expanding range of shirts, trousers, blazers and other office-friendly pieces. Róhe's fashion-forward staples add an unexpected spin to everyday wardrobe essentials, whether through a bold colour or an interesting cut. Totême's minimalist tops and blazers are a long-loved fashion fan staple. And you'd be hard-pushed to find a fashion editor whose wardrobe doesn't feature a sizeable chunk of Cos. The high street retailer is famed for merging on-trend design with classic workwear pieces for results that feel a touch more of the moment than timeless.

Plus, when looking at lesser-known brands, Nili Lotan, House of Dagmar (where ex-Raey design director Rachel Proud has ventured to) and LouLou de Saison certainly deserve more than a moment of your attention.

Below, a deeper look at why each brand deserves a place in your workwear wardrobe and our edit of what to buy from each. There's far more fun to be had with office dressing than black trousers and a white shirt, after all.

10 Workwear Brands the Best-Dressed Woman in Your Office Swears By

Jigsaw

Jigsaw probably needs little introduction. A UK high street staple since 1970, the brand has long provided every element of our wardrobes: bags, shoes, dresses, coats, the list goes on. And yet, when it comes to workwear, there's a modern flair that sets the label apart—leather midi skirts and all.

House of Dagmar

As Rachel Proud settles into her new role at Stockholm-based House of Dagmar, we're expecting her sleek approach to colour and cut to seep through into the brand's Scandi sensibility. Until her first collection, Spring/Summer 27, the label's signature skirts, jackets and shirts sit alongside some more playful focal pieces.

Nili Lotan

The Nili Lotan philosophy is that clothes should be clean, sophisticated and functional, manifesting in everyday pieces that are versatile enough to pair with a good proportion of your wardrobe. This season sees a slightly Western theme: medallion belts, corduroy and rich suede fabrics, included.

Me + Em

Flattering, functional, fashion and fair are the four F's forming the foundation of ME + EM, the high street stalwart focused on making professional-feeling pieces that go far beyond the classic trouser and shirt. Weaving trending colour palettes and prints with timeless designs, each collection feels effortlessly suited to the office.

With Nothing Underneath

London-based label With Nothing Underneath started with shirting and quickly worked its way into the wardrobes of the coolest dressers in the city and beyond. It has since expanded into dresses, trousers, jackets and knits, but it's the shirts that remain the workwear must-haves.

Loulou De Saison

Chloé Harrouche, founder of Loulou De Saison, created the brand with simplistic Parisian styling in mind. Its clean cuts, luxury fabrics and pared-back colour palettes all effortlessly lean into office-friendly style.

Róhe

Róhe has carved out a niche as a minimalist label with flair. Think everyday officewear staples that are slightly more striking in design, whether through a bold colour, an eye-catching print or a voluminous shape that's more interesting than your standard workwear finds. It's those small design tweaks that make it a fixture in many a well-dressed woman's wardrobe.

Tôteme

There are a handful of Totême pieces that have earned their place in the fashion hall of fame: the blazer, the shearling jacket and the knit tank top, all of which appear in tenfold while scrolling through any fashion fan's social media feed. Timeless staples are where the Stockholm-based brand excels, spanning tops, bottoms, dresses and jackets.

Cos

You'd be hard-pushed to find a fashion editor whose wardrobe doesn't feature a hefty chunk of Cos. Merging trend with timeless design, the high street label excels at building a workwear wardrobe that's far from boring yet entirely office-appropriate. Spanning dresses, shirting, suiting and accessories, it's something of a one-stop shop for every office-friendly outfit.

TWP

TWP, standing for founder and creative director Trish Wescoat Pound, was originally created as an answer to classic American sportswear, but has since gone on to span all elements of our wardrobes—workwear, included. "The wardrobe is luxurious, but not precious, it is a reflection of how women want to dress," is the key quote from the label, highlighting how each piece, although beautiful, will always be functional first.

By the time October rolls around, my desk has usually disappeared under a tower of beauty advent calendars. This year I had my pick of 27 of them, and I’ll be honest—the standard has never been higher. There are so many brilliant calendars on the market right now, packed with genuinely practical inclusions: the cleansers, mascaras and moisturisers you’ll actually reach for every day long after the last door has been opened.

So when it came to choosing the one calendar I’d take home for myself, you’d probably assume I’d go for the most valuable, the one with the most full-size products or the one with the biggest luxury names. Liberty’s calendar ticks all of those boxes—but none of them is the reason it came home with me.

The real reason? Discovery.

As a beauty editor, I’m lucky enough to have access to—and a fairly encyclopaedic knowledge of—the coolest, nichest, most up-and-coming brands out there. New launches land in my inbox before they hit shelves, and it takes a lot to surprise me. Most calendars, however good, are full of products I already know inside out.

Liberty’s is different. Year after year, it manages to introduce me to brands and products I didn’t know I needed, and more often than not, a few of them become permanent fixtures in my routine. For someone who sees almost everything, that’s the most exciting thing a calendar can offer—and this year, it delivered some new all-time favourite staples.

My Top Picks From This Year’s Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar

Above everything though, if there's one thing that drew me to this calendar, it's the fragrance discovery. Liberty’s fragrance edit has always been a brilliant way to explore niche perfume houses, and this year it really delivers, featuring eight different scents.

Ex Nihilo’s Blue Talisman and Fugazzi’s Angel Dust were my personal highlights, but I genuinely enjoyed every scent in the line-up. Better still, they’re the perfect size for popping in your handbag, so they double up as travel perfumes—ideal for topping up on the go or taking away for the weekend without packing a full bottle.

Then there’s the full-size count. Of the 29 products inside, 21 are full-size—that’s nearly three-quarters of the calendar. That matters for discovery, too: a full size means you can properly work a new product into your routine and see what it does for you, rather than getting a couple of uses out of a sachet and forgetting about it.

It also puts Liberty firmly among the best-value calendars on the market this year. Space NK’s bestselling calendar contains 26 full-size products out of 35, a near-identical proportion, while Harrods’ calendar also offers 21 full-size products. Meanwhile, the Lookfantastic Beauty Advent Calendar—one of the bestselling calendars every year—features fewer than 20 full-size products, so Liberty comfortably edges ahead there.

The box itself is a thing of beauty in its own right. Shaped like the facade of Liberty’s iconic mock-Tudor flagship store, it’s decorated with delicate ink illustrations by artist Clym Evernden that bring the shop to life in all its festive glory, and behind the doors are 25 Liberty-print drawers. This year marks Evernden’s fourth and final calendar for Liberty, which makes this edition a real collector’s piece—and with a new artist set to take over in 2027, it’s one I’ll be keeping long after the drawers are empty.

And there’s one more extra I didn’t expect to love quite as much as I do: the calendar comes in a gorgeous, sturdy cloth drawstring bag in a festive Liberty print. It’s perfect for lugging gifts to and from Christmas parties and family get-togethers—or, if you’re travelling over the festive season, it makes a brilliant laundry bag to stash in your suitcase.

At £285, with over £1,300 worth of products inside, an impressive number of full sizes, a line-up of luxury names and packaging you’ll want to keep, the Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar would be a strong contender on value alone. But that’s not why it came home with me. Of the 27 calendars I had my pick of, Liberty’s was the only one that genuinely surprised me—and the one that’s changed what’s on my bathroom shelf. If you love finding your next favourite brand before everyone else, this is the calendar to choose.

Spoiler alert: Here’s Everything You Will Find In This Year’s Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar

• Reome Active Recovery Broth 15ml
• Ex Nihilo Blue Talisman Extrait 7.5ml
• Fugazzi Angel Dust Extrait 15ml
• Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum 30ml - Full Size
• Davines OI Shampoo 90ml - Full Size
• Lisa Eldridge Baume Embrace Melting Lip Colour in 'Épanoui' - Full Size
• Zelens Emulsion D Fortifying Moisturiser 50ml - Full Size
• Innersense Repair Mask 59.1ml - Full Size
• Joonbyrd Violet Haze Polishing Body Scrub 30ml - Full Size
• MZ Skin Intensive Bio-Placenta Eye Cream 15ml - Full Size
• Trinny London Eye2Eye in 'Joy' or 'Magician' 4g - Full Size
• ILIA Beauty Limitless Lash Mascara in 'After Midnight' 8g - Full Size
• Maria Nila Gloss Coat 50ml - Full Size
• U Beauty Resurfacing Compound 15ml - Full Size
• Verden Nocturne Magnesium Body Spray 60ml - Full Size
• Grown Alchemist Regenerating Hand Cream 40ml - Full Size
• Violette_FR Lip Nectar in 'Bêtise' 3.5g - Full Size
• Sisley Paris Sisleÿa Essential Skin Care Lotion 100ml - Full Size
• Votary Luminous Skin Liquid 30ml - Full Size
• Augustinus Bader The Face Oil 10ml
• Vyrao Ever 11 Eau de Parfum 10ml
• LBTY Tana Meadow Eau de Parfum 8ml
• Matière Première Crystal Saffron Eau de Parfum 6ml
• Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Finishing Mist 30ml
• Darling Multi-Biotics Hydrating & Balancing Body Lotion 30ml
• Bibbi Parfum Vanilla Factory Eau de Parfum 10ml
• Jones Road Mini Miracle Balm 8.5g
• Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 10ml
• D.S. & Durga Debaser Eau de Parfum 7.5ml
• Liberty Liberty Print Large Drawstring Bag in 'Festive Plume'

Say the word “treatment” to anyone with endometriosis, and you’ll probably get one of three reactions: one all-too-familiar glaze over the eyes because, honestly, we’ve heard it all before; a weary shrug because, quite frankly, what more can we give; or the cautious, wait, what? Look reserved for the rare piece of endometriosis news that actually carries some weighted hope.

So, you can imagine the collective eyebrow raise when ENDO-205 pulled up to the scene, promising something endometriosis treatment desperately needs: another option.

Why? Because unlike existing treatments that manage symptoms or suppress the hormones that can fuel endometriosis, ENDO-205 is being developed to target the disease more directly, rather than suppressing the hormonal system around it. A non-hormonal treatment designed to go after endometriosis while leaving hormones and ovulation alone? Well, that’ll get our attention. But—and I’ve been around the endometriosis-news block enough times to know better—there’s a rather large asterisk attached.

Let us hold our horses—Endo-205 isn’t an FDA-approved treatment, nor is it something you can ask your GP to prescribe next Tuesday. In March 2026, the FDA cleared its Investigational New Drug application, allowing the company developing Endo-205, EndoCyclic Therapeutics, to move into its first human clinical trial. The wheels are now in motion for the five-year study, with Phase 1 expected to begin soon.

Naturally, as your in-house endometriosis reporter, I wanted to get to the root of it, ask all the questions we’re itching to ask, and get the answers from the experts before we all collectively disappear down the dark depths of TikTok. I spoke to consultant gynaecologist Dr Lucky Saraswat, alongside other endometriosis specialists, to separate the genuinely exciting stuff from the very important reminder that we’re not quite at the victory parade stage yet.

Spoiler: ladies, we’re one step closer. Albeit a small step. But when you’ve spent years being told to wait, manage, endure and try again, even a tiny move in the right direction feels… significant. Is it the finish line? Absolutely not. But it is movement—and for those of us desperate to see a real win for endometriosis, that matters.

First, Why Isn’t Hormonal Treatment Enough?

Before we unpack ENDO-205, let’s take a quick step back to look at the hormonal-treatment merry-go-round—because if you have endometriosis, chances are you’ve been on it before. So, what do current hormonal treatments actually do, and perhaps more importantly, what don’t they do?

As Dr Raj Arora, a GP with an interest in women’s health, explains, the hormonal options most commonly used in endometriosis—from the combined pill and progestogen-only treatments such as dienogest and desogestrel, to the hormonal coil and GnRH medications—are all essentially working towards the same goal.

“Endometriosis lesions feed on oestrogen, so by suppressing ovulation and lowering or blocking oestrogen, we can reduce the inflammation, bleeding and pain those lesions cause,” she explains.

Sounds great in theory. But the frustrating reality is that the lesions are still there.

“What’s important to understand is that these treatments manage the environment around the disease rather than the disease itself,” says Arora. That distinction is pretty crucial. “Hormonal treatment can quieten the conditions that allow endometriosis to cause trouble, but it doesn’t necessarily remove the lesions themselves—which is one reason symptoms can return when treatment stops.”

And for many women, even that symptom control isn’t enough. Arora notes that around a quarter to a third don’t get adequate relief, while side effects can make treatment difficult to stick with. Then there’s the not-so-small matter of fertility: hormonal treatments are contraceptive, so they aren’t an option when you’re actively trying to conceive.

So yes, hormones can help. But they don’t work for everyone, and they don’t actually target the disease itself. Which brings us neatly to ENDO-205…

So, What Exactly Is ENDO-205?

In the simplest terms, it’s an experimental, non-hormonal peptide treatment being developed specifically for endometriosis. And if “peptide” sounds like something you’d find on the back of a very expensive skincare bottle, stay with me.

Saraswat explains that a peptide is essentially “a small chain of amino acids”—think of it as a tiny biological message designed to interact with particular cells. The clever bit, at least in theory, is what that message is looking for.

“We know that the endometrium—the lining of the womb—is structurally and functionally different in women with endometriosis,” says Saraswat. “However, that difference is not what ENDO-205 is targeting. The endometriosis cells in the peritoneal cavity have a different microenvironment, which allows the drug to identify them, bind to them and selectively destroy the endometriosis cells.”

Strip away the science for a second: ENDO-205 is designed to recognise features of the environment surrounding endometriosis lesions, allowing it to target them (and hopefully destroy them), rather than simply changing the hormonal environment in which the disease exists. That’s the theory, anyway—and it’s an important distinction. Unlike hormonal treatments, which mainly help manage symptoms by altering hormonal activity, ENDO-205, on the other hand, is designed to go after the lesions themselves

But—and it’s a rather large but—we don’t yet know whether it works in humans. That’s what the clinical trials are for.

“Phase 1 will primarily establish whether the drug is safe and how the body responds to it. If those results are positive, it can then progress to Phase 2 and 3 trials, where we can begin to assess whether it works as a treatment for endometriosis properly. It’s a process that could take around five years.”

As you can see, there’s plenty to be intrigued by here, but it’s far too early to crack open the champagne.

Why Non-Hormonal Treatment Could Be a Game-Changer

Hormonal treatments and I have a complicated relationship. By complicated, I mean we clash. Majorly. We cannot coexist.

And I know I stand in a crowded room. For some women, hormonal treatments aren’t medically suitable; others are trying to conceive, struggling with the side effects or finding that they don’t work well enough to outweigh the cons. Some would rather not take them at all.

Riddle me this: if hormones aren’t an option—or just aren’t working—what happens next?

It’s a question that matters when hormonal treatment remains such a common starting point for endometriosis care. According to Endometriosis UK’s 2026 State of Endometriosis Care report, 80% of women surveyed had been prescribed hormonal contraception for their symptoms before any investigations. Of those women, 55% said they hadn’t discussed what might be causing their symptoms.

For a condition that affects women so differently, that’s a compelling argument for having more options—and for looking beyond hormones alone.

As endometriosis specialist Dr Martin Hirsch explains, “The development of non-hormonal treatments represents one of the most important priorities in endometriosis research.”

“A successful non-hormonal treatment could potentially expand patient choice and support more personalised care,” says Hirsch. “Rather than relying on a relatively small group of hormonal therapies, clinicians might eventually have a broader toolkit that could be tailored to different patient circumstances and disease phenotypes.”

And that right there is a reason we should feel hopeful. A non-hormonal treatment option wouldn’t automatically be better—it would mean more choice. And in a disease as complex and individual as endometriosis, having more options to work could be life-changing. ENDO-205 may be in the very early stages, but that possibility alone is worth paying attention to.

So, Could This Actually Change Things for Women With Endometriosis?

In the words of naturopathic endocrinologist Dr Jolene Brighten, "Potentially. But we’re not there yet. ENDO-205 entering human clinical testing is an important milestone, but it doesn’t tell us that the treatment works in humans, shrinks lesions, is safe for widespread use or will ultimately be approved. Those are the questions the clinical trials now have to answer."

And there are plenty of them. "We still need to know whether ENDO-205 is safe, what dose works, whether it actually reduces lesions and symptoms, and whether those benefits last.”

For now, there are more questions than answers. But if those answers eventually come back positive, ENDO-205 could represent something that goes beyond a new name on the treatment list. It could begin to change what women with endometriosis are offered, and what they have to put up with in the absence of anything better.

Because living with endometriosis can mean spending years negotiating with your own body, weighing up treatments that come with their own compromises, and trying to make peace with options that never quite feel like enough. It can mean becoming an expert in your own pain while still waiting for the medical world to catch up.

Right now, we can’t say whether ENDO-205 will make a difference to any of the above. It may not be the answer many of us are hoping for. But the possibility of a treatment that takes a different approach is still worth holding on to, carefully, cautiously, without asking anyone to mistake promise for proof.

For now, we wait. Not because waiting is easy; anyone living with this disease knows it rarely is. But because, for once, there is something new to wait for. And perhaps that, in itself, is where the hope begins.

Shop MC-UK Endometriosis Comfort Edit

I was in the gym the other day when I overheard a fellow treadmill-walker on the phone with her trainer. “Can you just explain a little about recovery?” she asked him. “Because I just can’t seem to work out when to rest.”

As I listened, I couldn’t help thinking what a relatable conversation that was. As women, we’re navigating a pretty relentless combination of pressures. We’re expected to contend with unrealistic beauty and body standards, whilst shouldering a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities—research shows we still do roughly twice as many hours of unpaid work as men. Meanwhile, gender gaps in both pay and leadership persist, with women accounting for just 24% of CEOs globally. Is it any wonder, then, that nearly a third of us wake up never feeling well-rested - or that so many of us struggle to give ourselves permission to rest when we need it, something colloquially known as ‘rest guilt’?

Learning when to rest is a journey many of us are navigating, myself included. We know our frazzled nervous systems need a break, that too much high-intensity training can play havoc with our hormones, and that sleep is crucial for our mental wellbeing. The tricky part, when it comes to exercise, is that for many of us, it isn’t just about our bodies. Movement works wonders for our minds, too. In fact, a new study in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that an eight-week weights programme could reduce symptoms of depression amongst young women.

Enter exercise snacking: something that’s been a game-changer for me on days when I’m too tired for a full workout. These short bursts of activity, which can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, have been shown to benefit cardiovascular health and muscle strength, whilst also being linked to improvements in brain function and mood. One study even found that six weeks of exercise snacking reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress in adolescents with childhood trauma.

I’ve been using these bite-sized workouts for more than six months, and have noticed positive changes to my mood, energy levels and, surprisingly, my body composition. With winter approaching and darker mornings and shorter days making it harder to find the time and inclination to exercise, I expect they’ll come in even handier. So, without further ado, here are my favourite exercise snacks - plus why the experts are such big fans of these tiny bouts of movement, too.

If you fancy reading more about exercise snacking, we’ve got guides to the benefits of micro workouts, the equally important micro-recovery, and what happened when one writer transformed her body with a 10-minute afternoon reset.

Six Months Exercise Snacking Has Transformed My Mood and Energy—Here's How

What is an exercise snack?

For Will Pate, Master Strength and Conditioning Trainer at the prestigious London gym chain, Third Space, the beauty of an exercise snack lies in its low barrier to entry. “The great thing about an exercise snack is that it requires no kit, no changing into gym clothes and no travel,” he says. “It can be any sort of short, deliberate burst of movement that gets your heart rate up.”

Personal trainer Aimee Victoria Long agrees. “In research, an exercise snack often means something very brief, such as a minute of stair climbing, repeated at different times. In everyday life, we can use the idea more broadly to include a 10 to 15 minute workout. That could be a brisk walk after the school run, a short Pilates sequence between meetings, or a few rounds of squats, rows and wall press-ups at home. The key is to choose movement that serves a purpose, whether that’s getting your heart rate up, challenging your muscles or easing stiffness.”

What are the benefits of exercise snacking?

When it comes to the benefits of exercise snacking, Pate’s point about intensity is interesting. If we’re focusing solely on the physiological benefits—how much exercise snacking can improve our cardiovascular health and overall fitness - then it’s true that we need to ramp our heart rate up. Studies suggest that vigorous-intensity exercise makes the biggest difference to our body composition and VO2 max, a key marker for cardiovascular health and longevity.

But there’s another important piece to this puzzle: the psychological benefits. When your body and mind are exhausted—whether from overtraining, work stress, or anything else in between—gentler movement can help you feel calmer, happier and less overwhelmed. In fact, research suggests that mind-body practices like yoga and Pilates, practiced regularly for as little as ten minutes, can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and help to shift us out of fight-or-flight mode.

“Mentally, a short bout of movement is one of the most reliable mood shifters we have,” confirms Pate. “Most people feel more alert and less stressed within minutes.”

For women juggling multiple demands on their time and energy, a shorter session can be particularly appealing. “If you’re spending your day responding to everyone else’s needs, ten minutes can feel like something you can realistically claim for yourself,” says Long. “That’s a big practical benefit to exercise snacking.”

How do I know whether to exercise or rest?

Of course, even exercise snacking could become problematic if we start relying on it to avoid ever fully resting. “This is really important,” says Simon Rayfield, elite personal trainer at Virgin Active Chiswick Riverside. “Sleep, stress, nutrition, menstrual symptoms, pregnancy, postpartum recovery and menopause can all influence women’s readiness to train. Don’t interpret exercise snacks as meaning you should continue to exercise every time you feel tired.”

The reality, though, is that it’s not always easy to tell if a little movement would lift us out of a slump, or whether curling up under the duvet is actually what we need. It’s why, with his clients, Rayfeld seeks to distinguish between low motivation and low capacity.

“If you’ve been sitting at a desk all day and feel sluggish, a 10-minute walk might be exactly what you need,” he explains. “Similarly, if you’re stressed, a gentle movement session may help you reset. But if you're genuinely exhausted, unwell, injured, experiencing unusual pain, or you're noticing persistent fatigue and declining performance, that's a different situation. Your body may need recovery.”

Long agrees, adding that “women, in particular, can become very good at treating tiredness as normal, especially around motherhood or perimenopause.” Her advice? “If persistent exhaustion continues despite rest, speak to your GP, particularly if you also have heavy periods, as iron deficiency can be a factor.”

There’s another important point to make about rest, too: exercise snacks aren’t a substitute for it, and it doesn’t sit separately from your training—it’s part of it. “Rest days aren’t lost days,” says Pate. “They're when your body adapts to the work you've done.”

The Five Best Exercise Snacks, As Chosen By a Health Writer:

Over the past six months, exercise snacking has become one of my favourite ways to work out. Don’t get me wrong: I haven’t lost my love of a long weekend run, a sweaty spin class or a heavy gym session that leaves you struggling to walk the next day. They’re all still part of my rotation, just in moderation.

But as a former member of the ‘guilty resters’ club, giving myself permission to take things down a notch, stay in my comfy tracksuit and commit to just 10-15 minutes of movement has been a novelty I’ve fallen head over heels for. Sometimes, it’s exactly what I need to find the motivation for more – one express YouTube Pilates class leading to another. Other days, it’s simply enough to clear my head and allow me to get on with my day in peace. There’s very rarely a time when I’m not grateful I’ve done it, whether that’s a 15-minute stomp around the park or a gentle yoga flow.

I have, however, developed a roster of particular favourites that I lean on when motivation is especially low. You’ll find them below, including what they are, how long they take and, most importantly, why I love them.

1. Pilates by Izzy 10 Minute Core Sculpt

What? An express core workout using a yoga block and optional ankle weights.

Why? Fiery, intense and using functional movements that actually apply to day-to-day life, this quick core workout is the perfect activation for a longer workout or to be used as an exercise snack to work your abs.

How long? 10 minutes.

If you’ve read my review of Izzy Samuel’s 25-day challenge, you’ll know what a fan I am of her workouts. Known for her intense, contemporary take on the classical Pilates sequence, she’s got a genuinely engaging way of teaching that makes you feel as though you’re in the room with her. There are always levels to cater to different abilities, and I always walk away with my body burning and my mood boosted.

2. Lidia Mera 10 Minute Pilates Arm Workout

What? A short, no-equipment continuous arm workout.

Why? With no repeats and small, precise movements, this class calms my nervous system and works my arms at the same time.

How long? 10 minutes.

When I need something a little less intense than Pilates by Izzy, I always reach for Lidia Mera’s workouts. The Pilates teacher and content creator is my entry into movement on days when I don’t feel like working out at all. The classes pair calming backing tracks with Mera’s soothing voiceovers, whilst delivering a surprisingly spicy burn for the upper body without feeling unmanageable.

3. Move with Nicole 12 Minute Booty Workout

What? A knee-friendly, no-squat, equipment-free glute workout.

Why? This workout couldn’t be more accessible, whether you’re struggling with knee pain, are short of time or don’t have access to any equipment. It effectively challenges the major and stabilising muscles around your glutes and hips.

How long? 12 minutes.

I came across Move with Nicole’s YouTube yoga, Pilates and strength workouts at the beginning of 2025. Back then, she really got me out of my post-Christmas slump, and I’ve been a devout follower of her workouts ever since. She has something for every mood - whether I need an energising yoga flow or intense glute burn. And when it comes to exercise snacks, she’s brilliant. Whilst her classes extend up to an hour, she also has plenty in the 5-15 minute range.

4. The Aloha Girls 15 Minute Pilates Core

What? An express core workout using light handweights, with options for all levels.

Why? Striking that sweet balance between challenge and achievability, this class combines core work with gentle stretching that simultaneously works your abs and mobilises your back.

How long? 15 minutes.

Best friend duo, Alice and Hannah, founded The Aloha Girls to be a one-stop Pilates and Nutrition spot, and to take the noise and fuss out of eating and moving well. They have an app with tons more workouts, but I’m also a big fan of their YouTube options, which include this 15-minute Pilates core. Alice’s instruction is always clear and relatable, meaning I can look away from the screen and concentrate on what I’m doing. Plus, on days when I’m feeling a bit flat, it feels like I’m working out with my friends, which always leaves me brighter and more energised post-class.

5. Pilates by Izzy 15 Minute Express Upper Body Workout

What? A dynamic upper body workout using light hand weights.

Why? Combining weighted exercises with bodyweight push-ups, this is a challenging and functional class that packs a punch.

How long? 15 minutes.

I couldn't help but include another of Izzy’s classes, because this workout is one of the shortest yet most powerful upper body sequences I’ve tried. I credit it with the increase I’ve seen in the tone of my arms over the last few months, and am still working on being able to complete each move without breaks.

Shop MC-UK approved workout gear now:

For the last three months, I've watched in awe as a blonde, tanned, ON running-clad pocket rocket by the name of Esmée Gummer filled my social feeds.

Back in June, she started a mammoth 5,000km running challenge, setting off from Inverness in Scotland and working her way through every UK city, plus Dublin, until she reached her hometown of London.

Rather than another self-serving distance challenge designed to go viral online, Esme's was rooted in community. Aptly named The Nation’s 5K, she hosted a free community run club in every city, with the simple goal of encouraging more people to move in an inclusive, fun, and welcoming environment. She took time to speak to every single runner who showed up. She showcased their stories on social. She made it about them, as well as her.

Her passion for fitness has an inspiring backstory; when she was 18, complications from surgery left her paralysed, and she was told she might never walk again. But day by day, she built her fitness back, and her experience is now the inspiration for everything she does. It's also the main reason she wants to encourage as many others to run as possible; to reap the joys of movement while they can.

As a runner myself who tackled a few Ultra distances in 2021 and who has hosted various run clubs over the years, I can't even begin to stress the energy, effort, and skill this feat will have taken. Ultra distances are mentally and physically gruelling; even with the best training and preparation, you go to war with your mind and body for hours at a time. I ran three ultras—45km, 52km, and 58km—in 2021, and was so tired come the end, I think I was practically non-verbal.

Esmee was averaging more than that daily, every day, for 99 days straight, hosting a run club in the middle or at the end.

The run club presents a different skill set altogether, which is what makes this challenge so unique; hosting a run club requires energy, passion, and ample forward planning. There are safety elements, route planning, and community to consider. It's hard to fathom how she did both—the gruelling physical challenge of the day-to-day paired with the mental challenge of the energy required to inspire the many runners who showed up to run alongside her.

It's the achievement of a lifetime—but it was never about that, really; rather, the people she brought together along the way. Below, she shares her story.

Esmée Gummer on the 5,000km Run That Changed Her Perspective on Strength, Community and What It Means to Succeed

"What happened to me at 18 is everything I am today. Without that experience, I would never have realised the value of movement and saying yes. I also ultimately wouldn’t have taken on many of the challenges I have in the past, especially not my recent 5000km run."

"At first, the accident made me too grateful to push myself—I didn’t run for six years because I was just so happy to walk again. I didn’t want to risk anything by going above and beyond. But eventually, I realised that I didn't have to be nervous about my body—being able to recover from something like paralysis is evidence of how strong I am, not a sign of weakness."

"That mindset switch gave me so much confidence and was the biggest learning from my paralysis, and it was the reason I could run 5,000km. The inner strength that 18-year-old me found to put one foot in front of the other when I could have easily given up is the same fire that took me through this challenge."

What Running 5,000km in 99 Days Really Looks Like

"I always knew it would be hard, but you can’t ever really prepare for a challenge like this."

"The Nation’s 5K means averaging around 50km a day for 99 days, while also hosting a 5K in every city. My routine involved waking up in the van, normally in a car park or a campsite, choking down some food (normally pancakes and syrup) and a cup of tea if we had time to get the gas on. I brushed my teeth on the roadside, got changed, and started running."

"Every ten to 15 km, I would stop at a checkpoint for a refuel (think crisps, Quorn sandwiches, Ritz crackers and Philadelphia, Squares bars or Red Bull). When I got to a city, I would hopefully get a couple of hours of downtime to eat some pasta or a rice bowl in the van. At the same time, I'd be filming and approving content, doing interviews, or watching a quiz show on the campervan TV, before heading into the run club."

No One Gets Left Behind

"At the 5Ks, I’d give my introduction speech, then run/jog/walk alongside everyone and always come in last. I took this spot so no one else has to worry about it. We’d normally be at the run club for about two hours, then head back to a gym or leisure centre for a shower before snacking in bed, back in the car park."

"Running with hogweed burns was probably some of the hardest moments of my life. The blisters broke every time I bent my knee, and I didn’t sleep because of the pain. Other times, like running a 430km week towards the end of the challenge, put strain on my body in a way you can’t explain."

"People would often ask me how I wasn’t tired or sore, because I was often still jumping around and dancing. I always laughed and said, “I am!”. But I was so adamant that I wouldn’t let the physical pain change my mindset. We are rightly taught to listen to our bodies, but for this challenge I had to totally disconnect from mine."

"It would tell me to stop, that it didn’t want to do anymore, but I had to keep going. At the same time, I had more respect for it than ever. It’s complicated, but this challenge was never going to be simple."

"By the end of month one, I'd covered 1,555km, climbed nearly 17,000m and hosted 24 run clubs. I remember feeling such a huge sense of achievement; those stats alone are ridiculously impressive. Yet that was only a third of what I was having to do to complete this challenge I had set out to achieve. It was difficult to celebrate for too long as I had to keep my focus for what was to come."

"The biggest surprise of the journey was honestly how much my body was capable of. If I’m honest, that remained throughout. I never got used to the fact that my body was running an ultra marathon a day; I would love to say that it became second nature, when in reality I was surprised every single day that my body was doing it."

Why Bringing People Together Mattered More Than the Miles

"I started my own run club in London about three and a half years ago, and the stories that came out of it blew my mind. People weren’t just telling me that they fell in love with running, but that coming to do a 5K had genuinely changed their life."

"It was nothing to do with the run itself, but the people they met. They’d tell me that they turned up to their first Say Yes Club run often feeling like they didn’t know who they were, what they were doing with their life, or even that they didn’t want to be here anymore. Then, they met someone on that run who became their best mate, and a year on, they were celebrating their birthday together with a new group of friends, going on holidays together, getting new jobs, and running races together."

"I wanted that impact to go further than just my corner of East London. On this challenge, I’ve seen the same thing, where people have started their own run clubs after coming to a Nation’s 5K club, or left having exchanged numbers with someone they might not have ever crossed paths with."

Creating Welcoming Spaces for All

"The standout highlight of my The Nations 5K run clubs was seeing people like Bethany, who feel like they don’t belong in the running space, finally feel welcome."

"We had these experiences at every single 5K. People sometimes turned up saying they were too slow, not good enough or extremely nervous, but then they would hear my speech and see the crowd and feel welcome."

"If everyone who came to my run club left feeling like that, I definitely feel like I’ve achieved what I wanted."

What It Really Means to Make Running Inclusive

"Social media has a big part to play in making people feel that running isn’t “for them”. The algorithm pushes extreme versions of running—we’re led to believe everyone is running 20-minute 5Ks, and marathons have become the new normal."

"Even offline, a lot of run clubs cater to fast runners—I’ve seen plenty where, if you can’t complete a 5K within 30 minutes, you basically can’t join in, and that’s despite the fact that the average 5K time for a woman is 38 minutes."

"I invited people to walk, jog, run or wheel the 5K, and I've learnt a lot about making exercise genuinely feel inclusive rather than simply putting the word “inclusive” on an event along the way."

"I’ve learnt that you have to take the feedback from the people and listen to it, rather than think you are making people feel included. At every single 5k, I started at the front of the group and made my way back through to the very back, making sure I spoke to as many people as possible."

"By doing that, you get to talk to people, you understand them, and you know if they feel safe and connected. It’s very easy to call your club inclusive and then spend the whole time at the front leading, without connecting with every person there. I have hosted 77 run clubs back to back, and I can honestly say I have learnt more than I ever knew before."

Redefining Success After 5,000km

"I had so many ideas of what success looked like for this challenge before I set out. I spent the start of the challenge going through these in my head day after day, measuring the success of the challenge based on these. But it didn’t take long for me to have a deep conversation with myself about what was truly important. For me, that was always having an impact on people and getting them moving."

"I'll never know how many people I've impacted, which I used to be bothered about. I can’t count how many people were inspired to move because of my challenge. Maybe they saw it on Instagram and went for a run; maybe their neighbour came to one of my runs and told them about it, which in turn encouraged them to go to the gym that day."

"It used to bother me that I didn’t know the true number, but actually now I think it’s quite beautiful that my message is just out there, changing lives without me knowing."

"If having an impact on people and motivating them to move was the goal, I've definitely achieved it, and I can't wait to spread it further."

"I was presented with a Guinness World Records title at the finish of The Nation’s 5K in London for the most run clubs hosted in different cities by an individual."

"The idea of the Guinness World Record title was motivating because it wasn't about me. A lot of people have done record-breaking challenges—I didn’t want to be known for going the furthest or the fastest. I wanted to be known for bringing people together."

"I’m really excited that the record was for the run clubs and the number of people we got together."

There’s a scene in my novel, Such a Nice Boy, just after my main character, Amanda, discovers that her fifteen-year-old son is a sexual bully, in which she’s asked how many twenty-something women she talks to regularly. ‘None,’ she replies. ‘Exactly,’ says her friend.

It was a thought that had occurred to me a few years earlier, too, when the Everyone’s Invited website became headline news. Horrified by the stories about rape culture in our schools, I remember talking to my friends about it one evening. We’d all dealt with bad behaviour from men as teenage girls, but as we’d moved out of the dating world and become mothers — no longer seen by men as fair game — we’d actually started to believe things were getting better for women and girls.

Some of those friends had boys (I have two girls myself). All considered themselves feminists. And all would’ve been devastated to learn their son had mistreated a girl. It was a conversation that would prove to be the spark for my novel, but, as I would soon discover, researching it would leave me so disturbed I’d regularly find myself unable to sleep.

I began my research with the big-picture stuff, wading through studies from academics and charities showing that there had indeed been a cultural shift for the worse. But it soon became clear that, in order to accurately portray this, I’d need to see what kids — and particularly boys — were looking at online for myself.

So I created TikTok and Instagram accounts for Nathan, Amanda’s fictional son, and gave him interests like football, cars and good-looking actresses. It didn’t take long for the nasty content to appear.

Aware that many parents think gaming is relatively harmless, I also made him a gamer. It took half an hour to see the first violently misogynistic conversation in one of Discord’s thousands of chatrooms. What struck me was not just its throwaway nature, but how the conversation on either side of it was so nonsensical that it had to be a chatroom full of either kids or very immature adults. I went on to find dozens of chatrooms clearly labelled as woman-hating on that platform, but I chose not to go into those because I never wanted Nathan to be an incel.

Thanks largely to the drama Adolescence, there is now far greater parental awareness of this kind of extreme online misogyny. But there is another factor that has been linked to harmful attitudes towards women and girls, and which many parents still don’t like to think their child would look at: porn.

When Amanda discovers porn on her son’s phone, she doesn’t find anything now considered extreme; she finds the kind of videos I found on the first page of my first visit to Pornhub. Ones with titles like this: ‘Cutie woke up when I penetrated her holes’ — an act which, if it took place in real life, would be classified as rape.

In her latest report on the impact of pornography on young people, the Children’s Commissioner, Rachel de Souza, describes how seeing violent porn is now a normal part of online life for children. And, she says, ‘it is impacting children’s behaviours and beliefs in deeply concerning ways — in particular when it comes to attitudes towards women and girls.’

To put it another way — and these are the words of one of the teenage girls quoted in her report — ‘porn makes boys act vile towards girls.’

Of all the research I did, it was what I saw and read in relation to porn that kept me up at night. As a mum of two girls, it terrified me to think they would soon have to navigate this world and, for a while, I can honestly say I looked at all teenage boys with suspicion, feeling an anger towards them that, deep down, I knew was irrational and unfair.

It was only once I stepped back from the research that I was able to listen to what I’d had to repeatedly remind myself: that boys never asked for this stuff to be pushed to them.

Take, for example, the 14-year-old quoted in one article who wanted his teacher to show him how to choke a girl because, apparently, they’re all ‘mad for it’. He didn’t know not to take the violent sex he was learning from as gospel.

Leafing through the Children’s Commissioner’s reports into children’s online reality, one of the things I kept coming back to was just how clueless our generation has become. The children themselves are saying it loudly: parents don’t understand their online lives or how common harmful experiences are and, even more worryingly, because of that, they wouldn’t turn to them if something went wrong.

So What Can We Do?

The advice from the Children’s Commissioner is to start having conversations about these topics early — and, most importantly, to keep having them. And from my own experience, I can tell you it’s not as bad as you think. Mine were ten when we first discussed porn, and perhaps because they were so young, there was no squirming or embarrassment on either side.

Having grown up in the nineties, my friends and I believed we could see the evidence of progress all around us. But spend any time in the online lives of children and young people, and you’ll see a totally different and, at times, terrifying world.

It’s clear to me now that we parents need to do more. Because if we can’t help our children navigate this world safely, if we can’t influence them to make the right choices, then it will be those who don’t have their best interests at heart who will fill that gap. And no parent wants to be like the mother in my novel, learning the hard way that bringing up a decent, well-adjusted child is arguably more difficult today than it has ever been before.

Rebecca Spargo is the author of Such a Nice Boy, which is available now.

Earlier this year, Dyson caused a huge stir with the launch of their CameraJet toothbrush. Priced at £419, it features a built-in camera and water jet for a more precise clean, using Gap Optical Targeting to target missed interdental spaces and remove plaque as you brush. So, a toothbrush and flosser in one, just far more powerful.

And of course, the internet had a lot to say. Many people questioned whether they were really ready to pay upwards of £400 for a toothbrush and whether they really wanted a camera inside their mouth—the jury is still out on that one.

Most people complained about the price tag, but Dyson’s offering isn't even the most expensive electric toothbrush on the market. Oral-B iO10 electric toothbrush comes in at a whopping £800. All this discourse raises a bigger question: when did investing in your oral health become so so expensive?

We’re living in a time where the pursuit of health, wellness and longevity—whatever you want to call it—seems to have no upper spending limit. Cold plunges, glucose monitors, health retreats, longevity supplements, peptide injections, hyperbaric chambers, and now oral care are all being optimised, and at a hefty price tag. And as someone who, in the name of journalism, has taken on a few practices, the bill at the end is certainly big.

Oral health isn't just about preventing cavities or keeping your breath fresh. Research has found it’s closely linked to our overall health, with studies linking poor oral health with cardiovascular disease and even certain cancers. It’s easy to see why gum health has become wellness’s latest target. Unsurprisingly, it appeals to people willing to drop serious money on their health, a group larger than you might think.

I’ve used a Spotlight Oral Care electric toothbrush for years and, my dentist and I agree, my teeth have never been in better condition. Once you go electric, there is no going back and all that. I definitely couldn’t, and I’m not alone. According to the Adult Oral Health Survey, 59% of adults in England use an electric toothbrush. But is there room to do more? Will a £400 super-toothbrush deliver better results? I suppose that’s what the longevity industry taps into: this intrigue, this idea that there’s always more we could be doing, and the pressure to do it for our health.

According to Niamh Turney, Senior Commercial Manager for Oral Care at Dyson, the answer is yes.“Most other toothbrushes just brush and miss the gaps between teeth. Many people then do not floss afterwards. Dyson CameraJet integrates flossing into the everyday brushing routine by using a camera to automatically detect and target gaps between teeth as you brush. It’s engineered to support overall oral health,” she explains.

I’m not even going to pretend I’m not intrigued. If there’s one thing Dyson has built a reputation for, it’s innovation. But do all those high-tech features actually make a real difference?

Dr Krystyn Wilczyński, cosmetic dentist, isn’t convinced. “You really don’t need to spend £300 to get an excellent clean. Once you have a good-quality electric toothbrush with an effective cleaning action, a pressure sensor and a two-minute timer, you’ve covered the features that matter most to me as a dentist,” she tells us.

Which is an important and refreshing reminder when it’s so easy to get swept up in the idea that more expensive automatically means better. Dr Deepak Aulak, founder of Tooth Fairy, argues that it always comes back to the basics. “A more expensive toothbrush won’t fix poor brushing. Brushing for two minutes twice a day, cleaning along the gum line and using the right pressure matters far more than the price tag. That said, a good electric toothbrush does make those habits easier. The best toothbrush is the one that suits your mouth and your needs.” He adds, “Anything above around £150, you’re often paying for features most people simply won’t use.” I suppose that’s the key takeaway. Find a toothbrush that does what you need it to do.

It feels strange to debate whether a toothbrush is worth more than £400 when millions of people across the UK struggle to access NHS dental care. Government figures show that 60% of adults in England had not seen an NHS dentist over the previous two years, and oral health inequality continues to grow. You can even see that divide in electric toothbrush ownership: 47% of people in the lowest-income households use one, compared with 76% in the highest-income households.

Younger consumers, however, are embracing oral care for more aesthetic reasons. The goal of whiter and straighter teeth, brighter and picture-perfect smiles and easier access to oral cosmetic procedures have pushed oral care from a simple health habit into a beauty step.

So it’s no surprise that brands are responding by turning toothbrushes into sleek wellness technology, pushing the idea that toothbrushes—and even toothpaste—should do much more than simply clean your teeth. Whether that’s leaning into the beauty side or the longevity side.

It will be interesting to see how Dyson’s launch changes the category. Will toothbrushes become even smarter? Will they lean further into wellness? Or will they simply become another luxury gadget promising to optimise a routine that’s already straightforward?

So, how much is too much to spend on a toothbrush? That really depends on what you want from it. Innovation can be genuinely useful, whether that’s better battery life, more sustainable materials or features that encourage better brushing habits.

But no matter how smart the technology becomes, it always comes back to the fundamentals, which, as boring as it may seem, remain simple: brush properly, floss regularly and see your dentist when you should. The extras are, well, extras but also very nice if it’s in your budget.

The Best Toothbrushes for All Budgets

After years in clinic, I kept seeing the same thing. People would come in feeling exhausted, inflamed, wired, hungry, not sleeping properly, gaining weight, struggling with their digestion - and their response was often to do more. Eat less. Fast longer. Train harder. Cut out another food group.

And I just thought, this is completely backwards.

Most people don't need more restriction. They need some structure and a chance to get back to basics. Good food, enough protein, fibre, sleep, movement, hydration, some space between meals, less ultra-processed food, less alcohol, less constant input.

That was really where my new book, The Reset, came from. I wanted to take the principles I use in clinic and make them practical enough to work in normal life. The Reset creates the conditions for your body to start doing its job properly again.

The book reframes midlife specifically because the basic rules of health don’t suddenly change at 45. The fundamentals are still the fundamentals, and they can and should be leaned on at any age.

What does change in midlife is the context.

This is often the point where the effects of years of stress, poor sleep, under-recovery, less movement, changes in body composition and metabolic health start to become more noticeable. Muscle mass becomes more important to preserve, insulin sensitivity can shift, recovery can take a little longer, and people may find that what worked for them at 25 or 30 simply doesn't work in quite the same way anymore.

It's really about recognising that midlife can be a useful moment to reassess how you're living and make the basics work harder for you.

And I feel quite strongly that we shouldn't wait until midlife to think about any of this. What you do in your twenties and thirties matters too. Midlife is not the beginning of the story; it's often just the point where the body starts asking for a bit more attention.

“The Basic Rules of Health Don’t Suddenly Change at 45”

People are very often made to feel as though their bodies have suddenly gone wrong.

There's so much messaging around fixing your hormones, fixing your metabolism, losing the belly, reversing ageing. It can become quite negative and frankly exhausting.

Your body is doing the best it can, in an often challenging environment – which a lot of the time is due to factors outside your control.

Midlife (and before) is a time when it becomes useful to understand your physiology a little better and work with it. You may need to think more consciously about muscle, bone, blood glucose, recovery and sleep than you did at 25; it is about listening to your body and changing what you do as you change.

I'm much more interested in helping people feel strong, well and capable where they are in life, rather than trying to turn them back into a younger version of themselves.

Can You Really See Results in Four Weeks?

Four weeks is long enough to notice things.

People may find their energy is more stable, their digestion is better, they're sleeping more consistently, cravings settle down, and they feel less bloated. As they eat differently and move more, they will also start seeing changes in blood glucose control and body composition.

But I never want to overpromise. You're not going to undo years of metabolic dysfunction in four weeks. You're not going to completely change your microbiome or build enormous amounts of muscle. And the aim isn't to lose some dramatic amount of weight in 28 days.

The four weeks is a framework to give you a structure and time to focus on you. It allows you to try a new way of eating and living for size, and that will set you up for a long, long time.

You'll address hormonal balance, inflammation and gut health together, rather than treating them separately, because the body doesn't operate in separate departments.

Why? Because:

• Your gut influences immune signalling and inflammation.
• Your microbiome is involved in the metabolism of hormones.
• Your sleep affects insulin sensitivity and appetite signalling.
• Chronic stress affects digestion, blood glucose and reproductive hormones.
• Muscle influences metabolic health.

Everything is talking to everything else.

Functional medicine has always looked at those relationships, rather than simply chasing individual symptoms. If someone has poor sleep, constipation, erratic blood sugar, high stress and low muscle mass, it makes very little sense to pick one of those things in isolation and pretend it has nothing to do with the others.

What Does Giving the Body "the Chance to Work as it Should" Every Day Look Like?

It's much less glamorous than people think.

• Eat proper food.
• Get enough protein and fibre.
• Eat plenty of different plants.
• Drink water.
• Move every day and lift something heavy a few times a week.
• Get outside in the morning.
• Sleep.
• Don't snack continuously from breakfast until bedtime.
• Give your digestive system a break overnight.
• Don't drink too much alcohol.
• Don't spend your entire day sitting down.

None of those things is particularly sexy, but physiology likes consistency.

We've become very good at looking for the next supplement, wearable or biohack when quite often the biggest gains are still sitting in the boring basics.

One Thing Women in Midlife Do They Think Helps Their Health, but Actually Works Against It

I see women under-eating while over-exercising all the time—and it's the one thing you see women in midlife doing that they think is helping their health, but might actually be working against them.

Women become worried about weight gain, so they cut their food right down and add more cardio. Then they're tired, hungry, not recovering properly and losing muscle, which is exactly the tissue we desperately want to preserve as we get older.

I'm not saying everyone needs to eat more and exercise less. But I do think we need to move away from this idea that the answer to every body composition change is simply more restriction.

Often the better question is—am I eating enough protein, am I strength training, am I sleeping, am I recovering, and what is my metabolic health doing?

What Makes This Approach Genuinely Different After Countless Resets, Diets, and Wellness Plans?

Wellness has become incredibly noisy. One minute breakfast is essential, then breakfast is killing you. Carbohydrates are good, then they're bad. You should fast; you shouldn't fast. You need 20 supplements before 8 am.

Rather than try hundreds of different things, try four weeks of stripping away some of the noise and coming back to the things we know work—food quality, protein, fibre, plants, movement, muscle, sleep, circadian rhythm, stress and metabolic health.

Importantly, the goal is that you come out of it knowing yourself a little better. What makes you feel good, what doesn't, what habits are worth keeping and what you can happily leave behind.

For me, that is what sustainable health has to look like.

Shop MC UK wellness essentials now:

“I’ll tell you the truth about the Emmys,” says Emilia Clarke brightly, as she proceeds to recount a catalogue of minor disasters at the 2026 ceremony.

“I’m walking down the red carpet, and my heel has unstitched the hem. We're already a bit late. I’ve got a publicist up my [Prada] dress with a safety pin. Then I cut myself on one of the beads on the bag, and this woman is like, [puts on American accent] ‘Do you know you have blood on your dress?!’ Then, seconds before I go on stage, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to run to the loo’. Went to the loo, started my period.” She cackles. “Didn't have anything, wasn't expecting it! I’m like, “Elle Fanning, have you got a tampon?'”

While some celebrities might refrain from telling us this story, Emilia Clarke is actively keen to share it. She loves reading interviews where her favourite stars are frank and open. “That's why I try to be as honest as I can, because I'm speaking for the me reading the piece,” she grins.

The story also serves to demonstrate that the actress has learned to laugh off last-minute surprises, despite lying awake and worrying about events in advance. “The night before – or two weeks before – I’m freaking out. But all of those things happen and I’m absolutely fine. Humour is like medicine. It fixes everything. Everything.”

Professionally, comedy and drama often go hand in hand for Clarke, with roles in memorable romcoms such as Me Before You, Last Christmas and, more recently, the spy series Ponies. Personally, it seems humour is getting her through the dramas of life, too. “As long as I just keep trying to have a giggle... That's my goal for the next decade of my life: to take it lightly. But it requires strength to find things funny. It really does.”

When we speak, a couple of weeks after Marie Claire’s London photoshoot, Emilia is pushing through post-Emmys jetlag and approaching her 40th birthday. ‘Pushing through’, in fact, has been a general theme of Clarke’s adult life so far. In 2011, shortly after filming season one of Game of Thrones, she had the first of two life-threatening brain hemorrhages. “Season one wrapped at Christmas; by February, I was in hospital with my first brain hemorrhage. So my first press tour was me on morphine.”

In 2013, it happened again. “The second time, I was like, "This just is really, really, really, really hard. And then my dad died, and that completely undid me.” Reflecting on it now, Clarke concludes that she spent a decade in shock. “When I was filming Game of Thrones, I had zero curiosity about myself, about the experience, about anything. I was just in shock. I froze – for 10 years.”

Clarke is brimming with resilience. Perhaps a tad too much for her own good. Filming one of the most intense, scrutinised series ever made, becoming globally famous as the Mother of Dragons, all while experiencing the kind of personal trauma most of us hopefully only have nightmares about… she prevailed. “I was just like, ‘just keep going’. So then, when [Game of Thrones] stopped, all of these feelings came and took over me. COVID happened, it was a perfect storm.”

Has she emerged stronger? “Oh hell, yeah. I’m grateful for all of it,” says Clarke, emphatically. “Once you are given time after the hurt, you've been given a superpower, and that superpower is empathy.”

She describes connecting with people immediately if they have experienced brain injuries or grief, and being more able to speak out in difficult situations. “It’s so scary to be completely in your feels, and it's not always appropriate, obviously… I’m someone who's very anti-conflict, but whatever the issue is in the room, I'll just say it. ‘Sorry, guys, gonna have to talk about this now.’”

Clarke has also become more intentional about her career choices, embracing what she can control and acknowledging what she can’t. “You can try to develop some kind of strategy, but the only thing that anyone sees is the final cut. That's something that, unless you're Meryl Streep, you don't have any control over,” she shrugs. “So you can say yes to a project, and within three weeks of being on set, be like, ‘This isn't what I signed up for, and I'm in it now, so I can't turn around and change it…”

Having fallen in love with acting as a child, Clarke’s first on screen appearance was in 2009, in an episode of Doctors. In 2015, she played Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys, and joined another iconic sci-fi series in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. “I think the first 10 years of my career, Game of Thrones aside, was just an exercise in me saying yes because I didn't know I could say no. Since then, I've become much more considered about my choices and about who it is that I'm working with. Because I want to want to go to work, and in my mind, the only way to do that is to work with people that you feel good about working with. Then if the job isn't successful, [at least] you had a good time.”

Clarke is clearly enthusiastic about her latest move: a switch to theatre. She lights up when she talks about preparing for her role in Plenty, at the prestigious National Theatre in London. “Getting to be on stage at the National, being directed by Richard Eyre in a David Hare play… I’m just buzzing!”

The actress also had a ball filming upcoming romantic drama Next Life, in which her character Ivy experiences two parallel storylines. It’s set in the London jazz scene, and Ivy is an aspiring singer who gets together with a musician (Edgar Ramirez) in one reality, and reunites with her boyfriend (Jack Farthing) in another. “I used to sing jazz when I was younger, so instantly I was like, ‘Yes!’”. Her character is funny and self-deprecating – unsurprising then to learn that Clarke brought a lot of herself to this semi-improvised role. “When I watched the film, I was like, ‘That's me!’”. Clarke already knew and loved the director, Drake Doremus, and says, “It was the happiest time of my life. I'm not even joking. It was London, and it was Christmas, and it was just heaven. I made some real, true friends.”

The actress is a regular journal writer (“I just give myself a talking to before I go to sleep”), and is careful to avoid social media. “I post and I ghost. I do not partake of Instagram at all because within 30 seconds I'm miserable… Have I seen a picture of myself at the Emmys? No!” she exclaims triumphantly. Real, in-person connections are what Clarke is after. “An algorithm isn't going to keep you warm at night. It's not going to give you your wildest dreams. It's not gonna make you laugh. It's not gonna support you.”

Does she feel social media compounds the pressure on women to look a certain way? “The expectations of image across the board, like for men and for women, is just completely untenable,” she says, with notable animation. “You want us to look the same? You want to just be a population of the same face and the same body? Come on, we're human! We're gonna change.”

On the gender issue, she says, “The difference, I think, is that still we in a society are going to criticize women faster than we will criticize men.” It does seem to be a fate that more befalls females though, to struggle with getting meaningful roles in their 50s and 60s. “Yeah, and that keeps me up at night. I try and work out how not to place my sense of worth on other people’s sense of expectations or views. And it’s really hard to do it. The key to complete misery is comparison. I'm not saying I don't do it, but I try and catch myself, and I try [to] find strength in who I am.”

Thoughtful, funny, self-aware, Clarke has clearly come a long way since that “frozen” decade, though she doesn’t pretend she’s got it all sewn up. She’s learning to laugh off the present, but the future is proving harder to rationalise. “I’m unhealthily obsessed with what is to come,” she admits. Mention the phrase “self-love” and she counters it with, “Well, self-acceptance. Some people find it difficult to get to the love bit.” How is she doing on the love bit? “I’m doing all right!” she laughs. “I’m getting there!”

Any last words for the Marie Claire readers? “Everyone who reads this magazine is absolutely fabulous.” And, as if we couldn’t love her more, “Now, I’m going to get into my pyjamas and sit on the sofa.”

Photographer: Juan KR
Stylist: Maria Barsoum
Managing Director: Hannah Almassi
Digital Director: Jennifer Dickinson
Fashion Director: Lily Russo Bah
Videographer: Jonathan Middleton
Make-Up: Brooke Turnbull
Hair: Shon Hyungsun Ju
Manicure: Emily Rose Lansley
Photo Assistants: Grant Hamilton, Andrew Magurran
Styling Assistant: Giovanna Piergallini
Second assistant: Julie Smirnakos
Production: Town Productions
Words: Anna Smith